VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—Raffi Torres(notes) and Mikael Samuelsson(notes) scored 1:48 apart early in the second period, and Samuelsson added another goal in the third in the Vancouver Canucks' 6-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.
Jeff Tambellini(notes) opened the scoring, Alex Burrows and Keith Ballard(notes) scored late in the third, and Roberto Luongo(notes) made 32 saves to help the Canucks beat San Jose for just the third time in 13 games and four seasons.
Dany Heatley(notes) scored and Antti Niemi(notes) stopped 26 shots for the Sharks, who have lost four of the last five (1-2-2) and finished the game with just 10 forwards. San Jose lost Scott Nichol(notes) after an errant puck hit him in the eye during the morning skate, and Devin Setoguchi(notes) left with an undisclosed injury after the first period, leaving the Sharks short for the final two periods.
The game turned on a couple of shifts by Vancouver's bottom two forward lines.
Torres, pointless in eight games and dropped to the fourth unit earlier in the game, took a cross-ice drop pass from Jannik Hansen(notes) off the rush and quickly fired a shot past Niemi's outstretched glove 2:36 into the second.
A couple shifts later, Tanner Glass(notes), who replaced Torres on the third line, blocked a shot in front of his net to start a rush the other way. Samuelsson faked a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle and then waited for Glass to get to the net and screen Niemi before snapping it past his blocker.
Samuelsson scored again 7 minutes into the third after San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle(notes) accidentally passed it to him in the slot for a quick shot over Niemi's glove.
Vancouver was 2-9-1 against San Jose the last three seasons, but got off to a better start in the first meeting this season as Tambellini opened the scoring midway through the first period by firing a loose puck past a screened Niemi.
The Canucks had several great chances to extend the lead with their No. 1-ranked power play 2 minutes later. But Niemi, who was making consecutive starts for just the second time since joining the Sharks as a free agent this summer, made great point-blank saves off Ryan Kesler(notes) and Tambellini in tight.
Heatley tied it on a rebound between Luongo's legs with 4:38 left in the period. But Luongo made right pad saves off Joe Pavelski(notes) and Logan Couture(notes) in close a minute later, and Vancouver went ahead for good in the second.
Burrows rounded out the scoring with 5:10 left, scoring for the second straight game after missing the first 10 games recovering from summer shoulder surgery and only getting one goal in his first 10 games back.
Ballard celebrated his 28th birthday with his first goal of the season with 3:22 left.
NOTES: Nichol was hit under left eye by a puck that deflected off Niemi in the morning. He left the rink wearing a full eye patch but said he was a game-time decision. D Justin Braun(notes) made his NHL debut as San Jose dressed seven defensemen. Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa(notes) was a late scratch with the flu, and replaced by Aaron Rome(notes). Canucks D Ryan Parent(notes) was reassigned to Manitoba of the AHL for a two-week conditioning stint, but doesn't have to go far because Manitoba is in nearby Abbotsford to play twice this weekend. LW Peter Schaefer(notes) was released after not accepting a demotion to Manitoba and clearing waivers.
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