Canucks fall in shootout to Wild
Posted February 28, 2014 10:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Canucks had trouble scoring once again and it cost them as Justin Fontaine scored in the seventh round of the shootout to lift Minnesota to a 2-1 victory over Vancouver.
The Canucks have now dropped eight of their past nine games, after snapping a seven-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over St. Louis on Wednesday.
Eddie Lack made his second consecutive start in goal for Vancouver and made 22 saves in the loss. Lack has allowed one or less goals in six of his past eight starts, but has just two wins in those six games.
Ryan Kesler returned from a hand injury for the Canucks and showed plenty of jump. With Daniel Sedin sitting in the penalty box for hooking, Chris Higgins forced a turnover on Minnesota’s Keith Ballard, and sent the puck ahead to Kesler, who wired a wristshot home past Darcy Kuemper to open the scoring. It was the Canucks’ fifth shorthanded goal of the season.
Shortly after the opening goal, the Wild thought it had scored. Ballard took a shot from the point, which deflected off a skate and in, but it was immediately waived off for goaltender interference. Replays showed that the Minnesota player did not make contact with the Canucks goalie and the goal should have counted.
On the Canucks second penalty of the game, the Wild did get the equalizing goal. Captain Zach Parise beat Lack with a shot through a screen for his 20th goal of the season.
The Canucks best chance to win the game came in overtime, when Parise took a penalty a minute and a half in. On the full two-minute powerplay, the Canucks were only able to work the puck around the outside and did not generate any quality scoring chances.
The Canucks had four different chances to win the game in the shootout. Neither team scored through the first six rounds, and then in Round 7, Fontaine finally scored. David Booth tried to extend the game with a spin-o-rama move but was turned aside.
The Canucks next game will be on a much bigger stage. Vancouver hosts Ottawa at BC Place on Sunday in the Heritage Classic.
