VANCOUVER -- Radim Vrbata scored his first hat trick since joining the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent before last season to help end a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Arena on Monday.
Ryan Miller made 32 saves against his former team, Henrik Sedin had a power-play goal and Brandon Prust scored his first goal for the Canucks and first in 50 games for Vancouver (10-11-8), which won for the fourth time in 17 games.
Vrbata scored twice in the first period, then completed his sixth career hat trick with 5:32 left. He took a pass from Adam Cracknell out of the corner and quickly put a low shot past Linus Ullmark's blocker from the right faceoff circle. It was his first three-goal game since Oct. 3, 2013 while playing for the Arizona Coyotes.
Brian Gionta and Sam Reinhart scored and Ullmark made 26 saves for the Sabres (11-14-3), who were coming off a 4-2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Buffalo wraps up a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
Gionta opened the scoring 6:48 into the first period after Jamie McGinn stole the puck from defenseman Matt Bartkowski at the Vancouver blue line, skated in down the left wing and centered the puck. It bounced up off the stick of Vancouver defenseman Ben Hutton and Gionta batted it out of the air and over Miller. The goal counted after a video review determined Gionta's stick wasn't above the crossbar when it made contact with the puck.
The assist extended McGinn's point streak to six games, a career-high.
The Canucks had been shut out twice in their previous four games and held below 20 shots for three straight, including a 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. But Vrbata tied it 80 seconds after Gionta's goal when the Sabres failed to clear a puck at their blue line. It ended up bouncing to Chris Higgins in the slot, and his shot from Ullmark's left went off the right pad and straight to Vrbata in the slot for his first goal in six games.
It didn't take Vrbata long to score again. Promoted to the top line with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin for a shift, Vrbata redirected a Dan Hamhuis point shot from the slot up and over Ullmark's glove at 16:42 of the first period.
Vrbata, who led the Canucks with 31 goals last season, scored three in his first 19 games this season but has six goals in his past eight games.
Prust made it 3-1 at 4:34 of the second period after a nice spin move and pass from Derek Dorsett behind the net. Prust one-timed it between Ullmark's legs for his first goal since scoring against the Sabres while playing for the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 3, 2015.
Henrik Sedin tipped a pass from Alexander Edler between Ullmark's legs on a 4-on-3 per play with 2:42 left in the second period, but Reinhart, whose dad Paul Reinart played for the Canucks from 1988-1990, closed the gap 1:51 into the third.
Ryan O'Reilly fought off a check at the side of the net and while falling he slid the puck out front to the rookie Reinhart, who one-timed his eighth goal over Miller's blocker.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment