Canucks still perfect in pre-season
Last Updated: Thursday, September 24, 2009 | 3:58 AM ET
CBC Sports
Canucks forward Ryan Kesler (17) tests goaltender Evgeni Nabokov in a 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks on Wednesday. (Sam Leung/Canadian Press)The Vancouver Canucks remain perfect for the pre-season, thanks in part to Mason Raymond.
Raymond's third-period goal sparked a spirited rally and he capped the comeback with the clinching goal in the shootout as the Canucks prevailed 4-3 over the visiting San Jose Sharks at General Motors Place on Wednesday.
Vancouver trailed 2-0 when Raymond scored 7:22 into the third and Alexander Edler tied it less than six minutes later on a rising wrist shot through traffic.
Forty-two seconds after that, Tanner Glass converted Steve Bernier's backhand pass to hand Vancouver its first lead before Rob Blake scored to force overtime with 69 seconds remaining in regulation.
Roberto Luongo kicked out 24 of 27 shots through regulation and overtime and foiled two of three skaters in the shootout to keep the Canucks (6-0-0) unbeaten in exhibition action.
"We struggled the first two periods," Raymond said. "The third period went a bit better, but I think the play was a little bit scrambly."
Raymond's shootout goal was an absolute gem as he spun and scored on Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov, who committed early and slid the wrong way.
"We're in the entertainment business and it was a heck of a move," Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said.
Joe Pavelski scored high to the glove side on Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo to put San Jose up 1-0 in the shootout.
But Edler offset that with a dandy goal, shifting sideways to avoid Nabokov's pokecheck and lift the puck into the net.
After Raymond spun his way around Nabokov, Luongo finished off the Sharks by stacking the pads on rookie Benn Ferriero.
Heatley held back
"One of the reasons why he is staying back is he has some testing that has to be done. When he got here, we put him on the ice immediately to get him going. He is doing that testing today after practice and we will get that out of the way. We have also got some video he is going to sit back here and watch while we're gone so that he is more prepared to play on the weekend … He is going to Canada. We're not avoiding that right now. We have a plan for him and that is what it is." — Sharks head coach Todd McLellan
'They deserved to win'
"They deserved to win, basically, in the shootout," McLellan said of the Canucks.
"I thought both Raymond's and Edler's goals were tremendous moves. They earned the opportunity to score goals and they put it in."
Ferriero, a prospect out of Boston College, opened the scoring 1:54 into the second period and nearly won it in OT, only to be thwarted by a lunging Luongo.
Ferriero was drafted in the seventh round (196th overall) by the Phoenix Coyotes three years ago yet he has impressed the Sharks with three pre-season goals.
"I just wanted to come in and make a good first impression," Ferriero said. "I didn't really know too many people in the organization until later in the summer and they didn't really know me."
"He is a guy that came out of nowhere," McLellan noted. "I didn't know much about him.
"He has earned a right to stay another day every time we play. I'm real happy with him."
Kent Huskins counted a power-play goal for the Sharks (2-2-1).
Jason Demers, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Thornton each had two assists and Nabokov made 26 saves.
With files from The Canadian Press
