Vrbata’s three-point night lifts Canucks over Jets 5-2

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Radim Vrbata had two goals and an assist as the Canucks defeated the Jets 5-2.

Chris Higgins added a goal and an assist and Yannick Weber also scored for Vancouver which got 26 saves from Eddie Lack.

Henrik Sedin added an empty netter and two assists for the Canucks, who picked up their third straight win and sit second in the Pacific Division, four points up on the Calgary Flames.

Daniel Sedin also had two assists.

Jiri Tlusty and Blake Wheeler replied for Winnipeg which occupies the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, three points back of the Minnesota Wild and two ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who have a game in hand.

Michael Hutchinson stopped 25 shots for the Jets, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

Vancouver trailed 2-0 early in the second after Wheeler banged home his 23rd of the season following a dominant shift.

After looking half-asleep at times during the game’s first 30 minutes, the Canucks came to life midway through the second period, scoring three times to grab the lead.

Higgins buried his 10th on a shot that squeezed past Hutchinson before Weber tied it up on the power play, blasting a one-timer for his eighth.

The Canucks completed the turnaround with a minute left in the period when Henrik Sedin chipped the puck down the sideboards to Vrbata, who outwaited Hutchinson before firing home his team-leading 28th.

The Jets were unable to find an equalizer, with Lack making two big saves on Michael Frolik and another on Mark Scheifele late before Henrik scored his 17th into an empty net.

Vrbata then added a second empty-net goal to round out the scoring.

Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins praised the overall play of Vrbata and pointed out how key he is for the team. “He’s been for us good all year. I’ve said it before, he’s not just good offensively, he’s good defensively as well. He’s smart. He does lots of good things, but he’s certainly good around the net.”

The Canucks will host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

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