Vancouver 4, Calgary 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, April 17, 2015
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees:
Brad Meier, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen:
Darren Gibbs, Jay Sharrers
Attendance:
18870
By The Sports Xchange
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Canucks used a dominating first period to build a lead then rode the goaltending of Eddie Lack to defeat the Calgary Flames 4-1 Friday night and even their Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series at a game apiece.
Left wingers Daniel Sedin and Chris Higgins scored on the power play, and Ronalds Kenins scored for the Canucks. Right winger Radim Vrbata also scored into an empty net. Right winger Alex Burrows had two assists as Vancouver snapped a seven-game, home-ice losing streak in the playoffs.
Defenseman Kris Russell scored Calgary's lone goal.
Lack stopped 22 shots. One of his best saves came in the third period when he shot out his leg to stop left winger Johnny Gaudreau. The prompted chants of "Eddie, Eddie" from the crowd.
Calgary goalie Jonas Hiller made 26 saves before being replaced by backup Karri Ramo with 5:52 left in the third period.
The series now moves to Calgary for Sunday and Tuesday showdowns.
The Canucks took a 3-0 lead early in the third period when center Bo Horvat sent a pass from behind the net to Kenins. He beat Hiller with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle.
The Flames finally beat Lack when Russell blasted a shot from the blue line on a power play at 16:26 of the third to make it 3-1.
The game turned ugly with 1:17 when a brawl broke out between all the players on the ice except the goalies. That resulted in three players from each team receiving game misconducts.
The Canucks controlled the first period, outshooting Calgary 13-3. The Flames didn't get a shot on goal until just over six minutes were gone and by then were trailing 1-0.
Sedin opened the scoring at 2:56 with his first of the playoffs. Vancouver took advantage of Calgary right winger David Jones falling just inside the blue line to carry the puck deep into the Flames zone. Center Henrik Sedin waited for defenseman T. J. Brodie to go down, then fed the puck to his twin brother, Daniel Sedin, who beat Hiller with a wrist shot to the glove side.
Higgins made 2-0 at 7:66 after defenseman Dennis Wideman was sent off for shooting the puck over the glass. Higgins picked up a loose puck in the slot during a scramble and shot it past Hiller.
NOTES: In the Canucks' seven previous home-ice playoff losses, they scored just nine goals and were outscored 13-3 in the third period. ... With a goal in Wednesday's series opener, C Bo Horvat became the first Canucks player since Todd Bertuzzi in 2001 to score in his first NHL playoff game. ... Canucks D Kevin Bieksa didn't practice Thursday or participate in Friday's morning skate but dressed for the game. ... Vancouver's roster has played a combined 802 playoff games, fifth most of the 2015 postseason teams. ... Calgary coach Bob Hartley said there's no truth to speculation that C Sean Monahan has a shoulder injury. ... Flames D Kris Russell's goal on Wednesday was his first game-winner since Nov. 3, 2013, a span of 133 games. ... In Calgary's six previous playoff series against Vancouver, the Flames have won the opening game twice and went on to win both series.
Top Game Performances
Calgary |
|
Vancouver |
Kris Russell 1 |
Points |
Alexandre Burrows 2 |
Kris Russell 1 |
Goals |
Chris Higgins 1 |
Johnny Gaudreau 1 |
Assists |
Alexandre Burrows 2 |
Kris Russell 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Chris Higgins 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Karri Ramo 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Eddie Lack .957 |
Jonas Hiller 26 |
Saves |
Eddie Lack 22 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Calgary
|
23 |
1 |
1-2 |
3-4 |
95 |
28 |
Vancouver
|
32 |
4 |
1-4 |
1-2 |
71 |
28 |
Upcoming Games
-
Vancouver will play their next game on the road against Calgary. The Canucks have a W/L % of .521 after a win and .676 after a loss.
-
Calgary will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Flames have a W/L % of .511 after a win and .595 after a loss.