Oilers quash Canucks' playoff hopes
Roloson makes 37-save performance in final regular-season game
Last Updated: Friday, April 4, 2008 | 10:46 AM PT
CBC Sports
Scoring depth, which plagued the Vancouver Canucks for much of the season, hurt them most the last two weeks and is a big reason why they won't compete for the Stanley Cup.
Marty Reasoner and Jarret Stoll scored second-period goals and Dwayne Roloson stopped 37 shots to help Edmonton end the Canucks' run for a playoff spot with a 2-1 win Thursday night.
Oilers' Marty Reasoner reaches for the loose puck to score past a sprawling Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks.
(Richard Lam/Canadian Press)
Roloson was also huge on the penalty kill as Vancouver failed to convert its first seven power plays before Alex Burrows connected at 13:03 of the third period, but it was too little, too late for the Canucks.
Vancouver pushed for the equalizer in the waning minutes but Roloson and the Oilers defence was equal to the task with several blocked shots. The Canucks then hurt their chances by getting into penalty trouble as Henrik Sedin and Alex Edler were whistled in the final 68 seconds.
"It's a great way to finish off the season," said Roloson, who made several excellent saves in his 11th straight start.
By virtue of Thursday's loss, both the Calgary and Nashville clinched playoff berths in the Western Conference. The Flames lost 3-1 at Minnesota on Thursday, while the Predators edged St. Louis 3-2.
"We worked so hard for the entire season for a chance to play for the Cup, and it's tough to take when you don't make it," Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo said through sniffles.
Vancouver struggled to score on Roloson despite having a 38-21 edge in shots.
The Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons after winning the Northwest Division title in 2006-07, earning a No. 3 seed in the playoffs and posting an opening-round victory over the Dallas Stars.
Vancouver has scored just 15 goals in the last seven games, six of which came in a 6-2 victory over Calgary on March 30, and saw its record slip to 39-32-10.
"This year a lot of things didn't go our way as compared to last year," said Luongo. "Obviously it's a very competitive conference and every game is so important."
The Canucks, who scored only 211 goals in their first 80 games, were minus fourth-leading scorer Taylor Pyatt, who was injured by Colorado defenceman Jeff Finger on Tuesday.
Vancouver also played without four injured regulars: centre Brendan Morrison (knee)and defencemen Mattias Ohlund (knee), Lukas Krajicek (shoulder) and Aaron Miller (shoulder).
The youthful Oilers, meanwhile, displayed the energy of a club looking ahead to the post-season, but Edmonton (41-35-6) will also be on the outside looking in come next week.
However, the Oilers were rewarded for their hard work on this night. After his teammates killed off a penalty, Reasoner buried Fernando Pisani's rebound while falling on Luongo for his 11th goal of the season and first in six outings.
Stoll gave the Oilers a 2-0 cushion heading to the intermission with a one-timer to the short side with Vancouver forward Trevor Linden serving a slashing penalty. It was his 14th goal of the season, first against the Canucks and eighth on the power play.
Stoll missed most of the second period after being hit in the head by teammate Steve Staios' clearing shot just 31 seconds into the frame.
Vancouver was denied during a full five-minute advantage in the second after Mathieu Roy was ejected for boarding Vancouver defenceman Mike Weaver.
Luongo, who was dealing with his wife Gina's delicate pregnancy before she delivered a daughter recently, struggled at inopportune times while remaining among the NHL's top goaltenders.
"Emotionally it's been a rough couple weeks a lot of highs and lows," said Luongo. "That's pretty much all I can say."
The loss was Vancouver's first versus the Oilers in regulation since Dec. 4, 2006, covering 13 encounters.
With files from the Canadian Press
