Vancouver Canucks stay atop beating St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime - NHL Update
A brilliant spectacle was played out at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday night, January 12, 2012, as the Vancouver Canucks maintained their top number position in the Western Conference by beating the St. Louis Blues, 3-2, in an overtime
extension.
Scottrade was not filled to capacity due to the poor weather conditions outside but the fans that made it to the stadium saw a game worth the effort.
Canucks were under the cosh for most of the game, being outshot by the home side with goaltender, Roberto Luongo, keeping the Canadians well and alive in the game.
"It's a sign of a good team when you can have so-so games and still come out on the right side", Sedin said.
Luongo made 31 saves during the game and Canucks maintained their impressive run away from home, taking their overall record to 28-14-3.
Blues saw their four game winning streak snapped and with results elsewhere in the league, dropped to fourth place with a 25-12-6 record.
Vancouver got the game rolling early as they put pressure on the Blues.
Alex Burrows buried the puck past Blues’ goalie, Brian Elliott, who made 18 saves at 2:48 in the first period to give his team a 1-0 lead.
It did not take long for the Blues to respond as they were fired up by the home crowd with Jason Arnott beating Luongo less than a minute later to level the game.
The match was on, as these two table toppers battled it out.
St. Louis took the lead in the second period at 6:27 when Luongo lost his bearings and saw Jason Arnott’s shot find its way into the back of his net.
"As I turned around to try to find it I saw it behind the goal line", Luongo said. "I think it might have gotten caught in my jersey or trickled down my back, I'm not sure exactly."
The Blues tried to build on their lead but their efforts proved fruitless as the Canucks came back into the game once again through Alex Burrows.
Alexander Edler’s powerful shot was parried by Elliott, and Burrows was there to guide the puck into the net at 17:52.
At 2-2, it was anybody’s game but both sides failed to score in the third period and overtime became inevitable.
The match however, was over before it even got going since the Blues were a man short due to defenseman, Roman p***k, breaking his stick, which resulted in the Canucks taking full advantage.
Daniel Sedin took a pass from twin brother, Henrik Sedin, and beat a despairing Brian Elliott with the Blues’ defence confused.
"Their guy went to get his stick, and it opened up a passing lane from Hank (Henrik Sedin) to me", Sedin said.
"It wasn't the best shot, but we'll take it".
The Canucks improved by winning their second straight game and will next face a resurgent Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, while the Blues face Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
Tags: