Canucks beat up Oilers starter
Last Updated: Saturday, November 28, 2009 | 11:00 PM PT
By Chris Iorfida, CBC Sports
The Vancouver Canucks scored four goals in the first eight and a half minutes on Saturday night and held off the Edmonton Oilers for a 7-3 victory at GM Place.
Alex Edler and Mason Raymond both had a goal and two assists, while Daniel Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff each had a goal and an assist. Alex Burrows, Tanner Glass and Mikael Samuelsson were the other scorers.
Ryan Kesler registered three assists, while Roberto Luongo finished with 31 saves.
The explosive start led to some lackadaisical play later on from Vancouver (14-11), but the margin was too wide for the Oilers.
"It's tough but we did the same thing last game and it almost cost us today again and we let up and they scored two quick ones and it's a game, so we gotta learn from our mistakes and be better for 60 minutes," Sedin told Hockey Night in Canada.
The Canucks have scored 24 goals in their last five games, not coincidentally about the time that Sedin returned to the lineup from a foot injury. Vancouver, which scored four power-play goals in five tries, is back home Sunday for a clash with San Jose.
"It's going to be a good test for us," said Sedin. "We're almost healthy now so we can't really have any excuses, just go out and play our game."
With No. 1 goalie Nikolai Khabibulin still out of the lineup, Oilers coach Pat Quinn evidently didn't want to give rookie Devan Dubynk his first NHL start against a tough team like San Jose or Vancouver, but the decision backfired big time.
Jeff Deslauriers headed to the crease Saturday for his sixth game in 11 days, less than 24 hours after taking a tough shootout loss against the Sharks.
Deslauriers didn't have his 'A' or 'B' game and wasn't helped by his teammates, who allowed the Canucks to pour 11 shots on goal by the 8:25 mark.
That was when Sedin scooped a puck off the ice and lifted it over the Edmonton goalie, signalling the arrival of Dubnyk.
Quinn said the Oilers actually had a positive first two minutes, but then were struck by a deluge.
"We couldn't sort things out, we couldn't pick up the right people, we couldn't keep it out of our night, and the harder we tried, the 'worser' we got."
Edmonton lost its third straight and dropped to 10-13-4. The Oilers get some needed rest before a five-game road trip that begins Dec. 3 against Detroit.
Gilbert Brule and Dustin Penner each had a goal and an assist for Edmonton with Colin McDonald netting his first NHL goal. Sam Gagner chipped in with two assists.
Ehrhoff got things started when his shot tricked Deslauriers over the left shoulder and in for a power-play goal at the 3:16 mark.
The Oilers tried to reply immediately, but Penner was stopped and Gagner hit the post.
The Canucks then outworked the Oilers on the boards and were rewarded when the puck came out to Burrows, who pivoted near the crease and beat Deslauriers at 5:01
Just over two minutes later, Raymond wired a wristshot over the glove of Edmonton's netminder.
When told Deslauriers felt responsible for the outcome, Quinn had a quick reply.
"We're just missing too many assignments, so I admire him for stepping up like that, but I think we need a few other guys to step up and take some responsibility for what's happening around the front of our net," the coach said.
After Sedin's goal, Edmonton got on the board with a power-play goal at 14:44. Brule rang a shot off the post, and Gagner followed up with the rebound goal.
Dubynk yielded his first NHL goal in the waning seconds of the period to Glass, whose shot went off the stick of Edmonton defender Steve Staios.
Luongo fell over early in the second when he took the powerful slapper of Sheldon Souray off the heel of his glove, but he shook off the blow.
The Canucks starter then whiffed with his glove at the 6:06 mark, giving McDonald a memorable first goal.
Edmonton struck again 64 seconds later, with Penner netting his 15th on the power play, but Edler countered with a power-play volley under the crossbar for a 6-3 lead with over seven minutes to go in the middle period.
"Obviously our guys did not lay down, they fought back and tried to make a game of it and they were doing pretty well until we took another penalty that we couldn't kill, and that was it," said Quinn.
The Canucks had the Oilers spinning all over on a third period power-play, with Samuelsson capping his team's passing off with a shot from the left circle that beat Dubnyk.
The silver lining for the Oilers was that Dubynk got some NHL experience and battled hard. The former Canadian junior finished with 21 saves.
The Canucks, meanwhile, will look to keep up their momentum.
"I think we all realize that we're going to have a lot of road games after Christmas and we need the points right now," said Sedin. "So far so good, but we gotta keep it going."
