Music: {allcanada} Ducks beat Canucks, regain Pacific lead

Saturday, March 29, 2014

{allcanada} Ducks beat Canucks, regain Pacific lead

VANCOUVER -- The Anaheim Ducks dealt the Vancouver Canucks already-slim hopes of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs another blow Saturday night.

Luca Sbisa and Matt Beleskey scored 71 seconds apart in the first period, Saku Koivu added an insurance goal midway through the second, and Anaheim beat Vancouver 5-1 at Rogers Arena.

Corey Perry scored 6:45 into the third period and set up Mathieu Perreault's power-play goal with 5:57 left and Anaheim leapfrogged the San Jose Sharks and moved into top spot in the Pacific Division.

The only downside for the Ducks was seeing captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf go to the locker room after blocking the shot that led to the 2-on-1 rush and Perreault's goal. Getzlaf, who was given a second assist on the goal, did not return for the final six minutes.

Daniel Winnik added two assists and rookie Frederik Andersen made 31 saves for the Ducks, who were coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. Anaheim rested veteran forward Teemu Selanne, but it didn't matter against a Canucks team that they have dominated this season.

Brad Richardson scored and Lack made 16 saves in his 16th straight start for the Canucks, who lost in regulation for the first time in five games (3-1-1) and remain five points behind the Phoenix Coyotes for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. But Vancouver has six games remaining, the Coyotes have seven and the Dallas Stars, who moved four points ahead of the Canucks, have eight left.

If the Canucks miss the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, their record against the Ducks will be a big part of it. Vancouver has been outscored 21-6 while losing all four against Anaheim, including twice in early January that sparked a two-month spiral out of the playoff race.

Sbisa opened the scoring 7:36 in with his first goal of the season and first in 42 games dating back to March 12, 2013. The defenseman's point shot through traffic appeared to hit a leg in front and dipped between the legs of Lack, who was screened by Kyle Palmieri.

Matt Beleskey doubled the lead two shifts later, driving to the net after his first shot was blocked and getting a nifty between-the-legs pass back from Rickard Rakell that left Beleskey with an easy empty-net goal.

Richardson, who was robbed by Andersen with the paddle of his stick on a shorthanded chance in alone earlier in the period, put the Canucks on the board with two and a half minutes later.

After controlling play on the cycle, Zack Kassian dropped it back to Ryan Stanton at the point and his shot rebounded off Andersen and right to Richardson, who hit the open net from a sharp angle.

Lack got a break when an open Corey Perry hit both posts on the same sequence in the first period, ringing a shot from the top of the crease off the left bar, and then hitting the right side after getting his own rebound. But he had little chance when Koivu restored the two-goal lead midway through the second period with his first goal in 18 games. Andrew Cogliano won a battle in the corner on the forecheck and threw the puck towards the net, which Winnik redirected it to Koivu alone in the slot for another easy goal with Lack stranded.

Andersen, who leads NHL rookies with 17 wins (two more than Lack), kept it that way with three good saves late in the second period. He robbed Chris Higgins alone in the slot and pushed across to deny Jordan Schroeder on the rebound with 2:30 left, and then threw out the right pad on Kassian's shot one minute later.

Perry increased the lead 6:45 into the third period, converting his own rebound when he spun through the crease after taking a pass from Koivu off the rush. It was the second goal in seven games for Perry, who leads the Ducks and is tied for second in the NHL with 38. Perry then set up Perreault for his sixth goal in the past eight games.

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