All they want to do is go out on a win - bottom feeding Canucks end season with victory at least
April 9th, 2017 -
In what some insiders are saying may be the last game for GM Trevor Linden or Head Coach Dan Bylsma the visiting Canucks were outplayed (as usual this year) but pulled out an overtime win in exciting fashion at least.
Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring early in the first with a shorthanded marker, his fourth goal with Vancouver since coming over at the deadline. Oilers star Leon Draisatl answered back midway through the period with his 27th of the season but the tie was short lived as Jared McCann scored his 12th since being called up just before Christmas to give the Canucks the lead.
Bertuzzi was ejected early in the second for an illegal hit to the head but the Canucks killed off the ensuing five minute powerplay and Markstrom held the fort all period despite facing 21 shots in the frame while his team only mustered three the other way.
In the third the brick wall that was second period Markstrom started to crack as Philip Larsen snuck one past him just forty five seconds in. Midway through the period Leon Draisatl gave Edmonton the lead with his second of the game. Evgeny Svechnikov evened it up on the powerplay after Bolland took an unsportsmanlike conduct seconds after getting out of the box for a cross check. In spite of being outshot 46-16 in regulation the Canucks were going to overtime.
In overtime it was all Canucks for three straight minutes. Hank and Danny dominated the puck but only got one sharp angle shot on net. Horvat and Svechnikov both got shots on the rush coming down the middle of the ice but they were turned aside. Svechnikov would come off the bench for Henrik after another puck controlling shift for the Sedins and took the pass from Daniel right between the circles and made no mistake, going bar down on Anders Lindback for the win. After his two goal performance tonight Svechnikov has five goals and four assists through twenty games withthe Canucks this year and is looking like a savvy deadline pickup by Linden. At only twenty years of age he still has plenty of room to improve.