Friday, March 2, 2012

Dan Hamhuis - Stay Atop Nhl Standings - Canucks Top Blues 2 - Sports

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Despite a lot of new people in your Vancouver Canucks lineup, a few wily veterans stole this limelight in a very key conquer the St. Louis Blues.

Alex Burrows' quick third-period goal bought Vancouver the actual lead, along with the Canucks beat this Blues 2-0 with Thursday night in a showdown regarding first place in the NHL.

Chris Higgins extra a great empty-net intention with one more minute to the Canucks (41-16-8), whom using ninety days factors possess a three-point steer over St. Louis (40-18-7) and also Detroit within the Western Conference.

''It experienced a bit more as being a playoff adventure on the ice,'' Burrows said. ''Two excellent squads likely at it, there is certainly not just a wide range of room. It's great hockey. Sometimes, those people shinny games when it's extra available and much more goals, it is more enjoyable for your fans. But with regard to us, in the event that all of us find the win possibly way, we live happy.''

Vancouver's overall steer from the NHL can be a pair of factors over the New York Rangers, who definitely have played some fewer games.

Roberto Luongo signed up their third shutout belonging to the season, making twenty nine saves for your Canucks, who seem to finished St. Louis' four-game earning streak, most around the road.

''These guys are right behind us, consequently it absolutely was your big game,'' explained Luongo, exactly who lauded his / her teammates to get definitely not making it possible for any hazardous scoring chances, although Vancouver had been outshot 29-24. ''We wanted to build a minor broken relationships there and i was competent to do that. But, obviously, there's plenty of hockey for being played.''

Burrows popped your scoring 4:17 in to the finally while he / she backhanded Dan Hamhuis ' rebound there are various ending decks in away from Elliott's shoulder. The puck came for you to Hamhuis following Kevin Bieksa fanned on a slap shot.

''It's a computing cling for us,'' Elliott said. ''We didn't determine up.''

Forwards Zack Kassian along with Sammy Pahlsson, plus defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani trialled their earliest activity in Vancouver soon after becoming acquired from Buffalo on Monday. Kassian plus Pahlsson acquired enjoyed with the Canucks on Tuesday at Phoenix when Gragnani was a normal scratch.

Kassian as well as Gragnani quickly made an impression. But the others with the Canucks didn't.

The trio impressed Vancouver train Alain Vigneault, who attributed their club's slow-moving will the results with its a short while ago concluded six-game trip.

''They brought specifically what those people guys can bring,'' they said. ''They added a great deal of vigor along with the ability seemed to be there to be able to wear down their players, mainly their own defense. They completed their particular checks. So I seriously liked exactly what those folks did.

''(Kassian) introduced just what exactly this scouts explained he would. He's a gamer that can skate, find that snow offensively, consider pucks on the net, and he is obtained some sort of physical advantage to his game. He's a new first-year gamer which has became a boat load connected with upside, a true great proficiency set, and I'm really very pleased with just what exactly I've observed hence far.''

The Blues outshot this Canucks 10-0 before Kassian recorded the Canucks' first shot at 7:52 of the first period - a slap shot in the mentorship with St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott. The audience let out and about a high decibel roar of authorization after Kassian got the actual puck outside the Vancouver zone, kept them in events after at the random world line, after which it unleashed a slap shot.

Gragnani possessed a possibility about the rebound, but has been foiled through Elliott. The defenseman, enjoying their earliest NHL video game considering that Nov. 12, struggled from time to time plus took a cross-checking penalty.

St. Louis came approximately scoring on the ensuing electrical power play, but Luongo received an elbow on Vladimir Sobotka's shot, plus the puck arrived in addition to this net.

Kassian brought most shooters together with four shots.

Blues discipline Ken Hitchcock said exhaustion embroiled to help his golf club with the next period of time as it played cost-free involving back-to-back highway games.

''We created drained mistakes,'' he said. ''They have been about the mark, some people checked out us hard while in the 3 rd time and most of us didn't hold the power to help keep going.''

NOTES: Hitchcock is usually on rate with the ninth 100-point time of year associated with his 15-year NHL brain training career. He additionally surpassed 100 items four occasions during his junior instruction days to weeks with the Kamloops Blazers. . Vancouver train Alain Vigneault pulled Luongo to get a sixth attacker before a faceoff inside the St. Louis finish having less than 2 seconds eventually left in the following period. The Blues gained the draw to get rid of any kind of threat.

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