Vancouver 3, Colorado 2
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 24, 2012
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees:
Ghislain Hebert, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
Jay Sharrers, Don Henderson
Attendance:
18007
By SportsDirect Inc.
CANUCKS 3, AVALANCHE 2 (OT): Chris Higgins netted his second goal of the game at the 1:40 mark of overtime as visiting Vancouver rallied past Colorado mere hours after clinching its fourth straight Northwest Division title.
Mason Raymond and Higgins scored 1:35 apart late in the second period and Roberto Luongo stopped 38 shots for the Canucks, who officially won the division after Calgary dropped a 4-1 decision to Dallas on Saturday afternoon. Vancouver sits two points back of Western Conference-leading St. Louis.
Rookie Gabriel Landeskog netted a power-play goal and Jamie McGinn recorded his eighth tally in 13 contests with the Avalanche, who pulled into a tie with San Jose and Los Angeles for eighth place in the Western Conference.
In overtime, Higgins accepted a feed from Jannik Hansen and wired a shot past Semyon Varlamov for his 15th goal as Vancouver defeated Colorado for the fifth time this season. The triumph was also the Canucks' NHL-best 24th on the road.
After McGinn gave Colorado a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, Vancouver quickly leveled the contest with quick strikes from Raymond and Higgins.
Landeskog opened the scoring 1:13 into the first period. After gaining possession of the puck in the corner, Steve Downie skated toward the net and attempted to deliver a cross-crease feed to captain Milan Hejduk. The puck was deflected, but Landeskog alertly tapped it in for his 22nd goal.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Varlamov recorded his second career assist on McGinn's tally. His first assist came on Oct. 22, 2009 when he was a member of the Washington Capitals. ... The Northwest Division rivals will play the final game of the set on Wednesday in British Columbia. ... Varlamov finished with 29 saves to fall to 0-4-1 in his career versus the Canucks.
Top Game Performances
| Vancouver |
|
Colorado |
|
Chris Higgins 2 |
Points |
Gabriel Landeskog 1 |
|
Chris Higgins 2 |
Goals |
Gabriel Landeskog 1 |
|
Kevin Bieksa 2 |
Assists |
Steve Downie 1 |
|
Mason Raymond 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Gabriel Landeskog 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Roberto Luongo .950 |
Save Percentage |
Semyon Varlamov .906 |
|
Roberto Luongo 38 |
Saves |
Semyon Varlamov 29 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Vancouver
|
32 |
3 |
1-5 |
4-6 |
14 |
32 |
| Colorado
|
40 |
2 |
2-6 |
4-5 |
12 |
36 |
Upcoming Games
-
Colorado will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .537 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Vancouver will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Canucks have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .667 after a loss.
