Canucks overcome bad bounces to beat Coyotes

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Kevin Bieksa batted in his own rebound while falling for his second goal of the game in overtime as the Vancouver Canucks earned a 5-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Rogers Arena.

Bieksa jumped off the bench and took a pass from Brad Richardson in the slot. After his initial shot was stopped, the Canucks blueliner got his stick on the rebound and was able to chip it up and over Mike Smith for the winner at the 2:15 mark of the extra period.

The opening goal of the game also came off the stick of Bieksa. Midway through the first period, Bieksa’s point shot was a knuckler and fooled Smith to make it 1-0. Zac Dalpe provided a nice screen on the goal.

It took just 44 seconds for Vancouver to extend the lead to 2-0. Jannik Hansen one-timed a pass from Ryan Kesler in the high-slot, and it beat Smith five-hole.

The Coyotes were able to respond quickly with the first of three lucky goals in the game. Just 18 seconds after the Hansen tally, Antoine Vermette lost a handle on the puck in front of the net and Roberto Luongo ended up knocking it into his own goal.

Phoenix pulled even just past the midway mark of the second period. Once again it was Vermette who was the beneficiary of an odd bounce. Kesler swatted at a puck in front of his own net and it somehow went up and over Luongo to make it 2-2.

Just as they did in the first period, the Canucks took a two-goal lead with tallies less than a minute apart. Just 42 seconds after Chris Higgins scored, Dalpe was turned aside on a quick break, but stayed with the play and poked home his own rebound to make it 4-2.

Vermette once again responded for the visitors, but this time he actually put the puck in the net without any help. Vermette fired into an empty cage with Luongo down for his hat-trick goal.

The Coyotes tied the game a little over five minutes into the third period, and once again it was an unlucky one for Luongo. With Shane Doan in on a breakaway, the puck flipped up and over his stick, but forward momentum propelled it through Luongo’s pads and in to make it 4-4.

The Canucks began overtime with 1:50 of powerplay time, but couldn’t convert. Bieksa scored shortly after it expired to win the game with his fourth goal of the season.

Luongo made 29 saves to record the victory, which was Vancouver’s third in the past four games.

The Canucks played without captain Henrik Sedin for a third straight game as he continues to recover from a rib injury.

With the win, the Canucks moved five points ahead of Phoenix in the standings, but the Coyotes have one game in hand.

Vancouver will be right back in action on Monday evening, hosting the Edmonton Oilers.