Vancouver 3, San Jose 2
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Where: HP Pavillion at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees:
Brad Watson, Gord Dwyer
Linesmen:
Don Henderson, Mark Wheler
Attendance:
17562
By SportsDirect Inc.
Andrew Ebbett scored at 3:23 of overtime as the Vancouver Canucks began their three-game road trip with a 3-2 triumph over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler also tallied while defensemen Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler notched two assists apiece for Vancouver, which improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine road games.
Bieksa wristed a shot toward the net from the blue line that Ebbett deflected past Antti Niemi for his fourth goal of the season and third in two games.
Vancouver grabbed a 2-0 lead as Sedin scored on a wraparound at the left post midway through the first period and Kesler buried a rebound from the doorstep during a power play three minutes into the second.
Logan Couture halved the deficit with nine minutes remaining in the session, beating Roberto Luongo from the slot for his 16th goal of the season. Captain Joe Thornton pounced on a turnover by Edler in the right corner and wristed the puck past Luongo from the faceoff dot six seconds into a man advantage later in the period to forge a tie.
Niemi made 27 saves for the Sharks, who completed a 4-1-1 homestand. San Jose has lost seven of its last eight meetings with Vancouver and five of six at home against the Canucks.
Top Game Performances
| Vancouver |
|
San Jose |
|
Kevin Bieksa 2 |
Points |
Logan Couture 1 |
|
Andrew Ebbett 1 |
Goals |
Logan Couture 1 |
|
Kevin Bieksa 2 |
Assists |
Patrick Marleau 1 |
|
Ryan Kesler 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Joe Thornton 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Roberto Luongo .943 |
Save Percentage |
Antti Niemi .900 |
|
Roberto Luongo 33 |
Saves |
Antti Niemi 27 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Vancouver
|
30 |
3 |
1-4 |
3-4 |
10 |
19 |
| San Jose
|
35 |
2 |
1-4 |
3-4 |
10 |
37 |
Upcoming Games
-
San Jose will play their next game on the road against Vancouver. The Sharks have a W/L % of .579 after a win and .533 after a loss.
-
Vancouver will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Canucks have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .714 after a loss.
