Canucks fend off Flames in shootout
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 | 3:23 AM ET
CBC Sports
Steve Bernier (18) of the Canucks jostles near the crease with Theoren Fleury in Monday's 5-4 shootout win over the Flames. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press) Vancouver Canucks forward Kyle Wellwood kicked off the scoring on a penalty shot and teammate Daniel Sedin completed it in similar style.
Sedin ripped a shot high to the glove side of goaltender Curtis McElhinney for the shootout winner as the Canucks rallied to defeat the Calgary Flames 5-4 in pre-season action at General Motors Place on Monday night.
"I don't think we worked hard enough tonight," Sedin said. "We have got to get better."
But the Flames failed to extend the shootout when rookie Mikael Backlund lost control of the puck before he could uncork a shot at goaltender Cory Schneider.
Canucks rookie Cody Hodgson, on a slick backhand move, and Nigel Dawes of the Flames, through the five-hole, scored earlier in the shootout.
Schneider was credited with 13 saves as the Canucks improved to 5-0 in the pre-season; the Flames fell to 2-3.
"I felt a little tentative and didn't quite feel as loose and in the flow of the game as I wanted to be," said Schneider, who is battling Andrew Raycroft for the backup role behind Roberto Luongo.
"I thought it was a difficult game for a goaltender to play," Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault claimed. "Only two shots in the first period and there was a lot of time in between where he was being tested, so it wasn't an easy game.
"I do think that he can play better than he did tonight and I would assume he would the first one to tell you that. [But] he is going to get another game, so we will see what he does."
Making The Cut
"I will tell you what I said before camp started. I'm not going to cut the players. Players are going to cut themselves and you have to watch the games and figure out who is playing well and who is playing themselves onto the team and who is playing themselves off the team. We're starting to form opinions on that, as far as coaching staff and management, and players still have four more games to play and we will see what happens after Sunday." — Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault
Sedin scored twice in regulation for the Canucks, including the tying goal with 0.2 seconds left in the third period.
Wellwood was awarded a penalty shot 3:26 into the contest when he was hauled down on a partial breakaway by Flames defenceman Jay Bouwmeester, and the crafty Canuck opened the scoring on a forehand deke.
Daniel Sedin finished off a nifty give-and-go with elder twin, Henrik, to make it 2-0 at the 7:50 mark of the first period.
Mason Raymond was credited with Vancouver's third goal early in the second period, crashing into McElhinney in the crease and knocking the puck into the net.
That put the Canucks up 3-0, but the Flames erased the deficit on four consecutive goals from Curtis Glencross, Jamie Lundmark, Bouwmeester and Olli Jokinen.
Raymond had a goal waved off with 10.1 seconds left in the third period — the referees had blown the whistle when he poked in the puck — but Sedin tied it on a low shot from the shot as time expired.
"I shouldn't say this but I was going to pass the puck," Sedin said. "Hank was screaming for the pass."
Theoren Fleury, attempting a comeback at age 41, had one assist in a losing cause for Calgary.
"I probably could have played a little better," he said. "It was one of those games, you know.
"When you have been around this long, you just get ready for tomorrow and practice well and keep moving along."
With files from The Canadian Press
