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 Left winger Daniel Sedin scored the winning goal early in the third
period as the Canucks used a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames to
battle off elimination in their NHL Western Conference quarterfinal
series.
"I didn't sense any panic on the bench," said Sedin. "I don't know
if that's the sign of a veteran team or the sign of a team that
knows we can get back into games.
"These are fun games to be part of. It's do-or-die. We played a
solid 60 minutes. It was probably our best game of the series."
The Flames still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with Game 6 to be
played Saturday night in Calgary.
Vancouver outshot Calgary 43-21. The Flames are known for their
ability to come back in the third period but the Canucks limited
them to just five shots during the final 20 minutes even though
Calgary had two power plays.
"It was a real determined effort," said Canucks defenseman Dan
Hamhuis, who assisted on the winning goal. "Our team has been
dangerous all year when we have had our backs against the wall and
everyone stepped up tonight."
Sedin broke a 1-1 tied at 1:47 of the final period. Hamhuis took a
shot that Calgary goaltender Jonas Hiller stopped, but the left
winger was waiting by the crease to shovel the rebound through the
goaltender's legs. Center Henrik Sedin, Daniel's twin brother, also
assisted on the goal.
The brothers each logged close to 20 minutes of ice time, an
increase from previous games. Henrik Sedin said that made a
difference for the line, which included right winger Jannik Hansen.
"It feels good," said Henrik Sedin. "It's easy to play when you are
getting some rhythm and more offensive zone face offs.
"For us to produce it's easier. We feel fresh."
Center Nick Bonino also scored for Vancouver, which trailed 1-0
after the first period.
Right winger David Jones scored for Calgary.
Canuck goaltender Ryan Miller, making his first start of the series,
stopped 20 shots. Calgary goalie Jonas Hiller made 41 saves.
Flame center Mikael Backlund said Hiller was the reason the game was
close.
"He was really good for us," said Backlund. "He was probably our
best player tonight, making a lot of saves.
"Those were two tough goals. There's not much you can do."
Bonino tied the game at 13:37 of the second. Right winger Radim
Vrbata fed Bonino a pass from behind the net. Bonino, who was
waiting in the face-off circle sent a laser shot over Hiller's glove
into the top corner of the net for his first goal of the series.
As important as the goal was, Bonino was happier with the Canuck
penalty kill that stopped all three Calgary chances.
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"We're happy with our PK, it got us where we are," he said. "Tonight
when we needed it most guys stepped up and made big clears."
Calgary center Joe Colborne said the Canucks deserved the win.
"We knew their backs were up against the wall and they brought their
A game," he said.
The Flames used their punishing forecheck to create a turnover and
take the lead just 2:40 into the game.
Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler coughed up the puck after being
driven into the boards by Flames' center Matt Stajan. Stajan sent
the puck to Jones, who was left alone in front of the net and fired
a shot over Miller's glove.
Calgary had a couple of other great scoring chances. Defenseman
Dennis Wideman hit the post on a Flame power play during the first
period. In the second, left winger Mason Raymond had a breakaway but
lost the puck before he could get a shot off.
"We had some chances," said Colborne. "We have to bear down, get
more pucks to the net and stay physical on their D."
Henrik Sedin said the Canucks stayed calm even after falling behind.
"We have been good all year when we gave up the first one," he said.
"We gave up the first one and we kept battling."
NOTES: Canucks RW Alex Burrows remains in Calgary after sustaining
an upper-body injury during Tuesday's morning skate. He will miss
the remainder of the series. ... Vancouver C Brad Richardson, who
missed Tuesday's game with an ankle injury, returned to lineup. ...
LW Sven Baertschi, whom the Canucks obtained from the Flames at the
trade deadline, dressed for his first NHL playoff game. ...
Vancouver battled back from 3-1 playoff deficits three time,
including against Calgary in 1994. ... The last time Calgary won
Game 5 of a playoff series was a 3-2 victory over Anaheim on April
29, 2006. They went on to lose to the Ducks in seven games. ... The
last time Flames G Jonas Hiller won consecutive playoff games was
May 3-5, 2009, when he played for Anaheim. ... The Elias Sports
Bureau says teams that take a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup playoffs
have a 90.2 percent chance of winning the series.
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