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 The Flyers gave the Canucks left winger openings on back-to-back
shifts Tuesday, leading to two goals 17 seconds apart by right
winger Alex Burrows as Vancouver beat Philadelphia 4-1 at Rogers
Arena.
"Daniel found some room and then he found me," Burrows said of his
first goal at 6:44 of the third period. "I went five-hole. Then
there was a big rebound I was able to score on. As the first line,
we have to find ways."
The goals were Burrows' 13th and 14th of the season, compared to the
five he managed in 49 games in an injury-riddled 2013-14 season.
The win kept the Canucks (40-25-4) three points ahead of the Los
Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames in the tight fight for second place
in the Pacific Division.
The Flyers (29-28-15) are 10 points out of a playoff spot, but they
played a tight, playoff type of game.
"We make a couple of mistakes, they take advantage," said Flyers
left winger Michael Raffl, who gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 10:42
of the second period with his 17th of the season. "You can't do that
against a team like this.
"Two bad shifts, two bad bounces, they take advantage."
Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler, with his sixth of the season, made
it 1-1 at 14:28 of the second, taking a nifty no-look puck that
Canucks center Brad Richardson redirected off his skate behind him.
There weren't many chances Philadelphia allowed Vancouver after that
until 6:44 into the third period. During a Flyers line change,
Daniel Sedin took a long stretch pass from defenseman Chris Tanev
between two Flyers defenders, then fed Burrows in the faceoff
circle. Burrows buried it under goalie Steve Mason to put the home
team in front for good.
After the ensuing faceoff, Daniel Sedin carried the puck into the
Philadelphia slot. The rebound from his wrist shot came out to
Burrows with Mason out of position, and Burrows made it 3-1 at 7:01
of the third.
"(The Sedin line) is fun to watch out there," Flyers rookie center
Nick Cousins said after making his NHL debut. "They make passes no
one even sees. They're as good as they're advertised."
Vancouver right winger Radim Vrbata added the final goal into an
empty net with 9.7 seconds to play.
Mason, who stopped 31 of 34 shots, saw his road woes continue. The
Philadelphia goalie has a strange and rare record of more road
shutouts (two) than road victories (one) in 18 decisions (1-11-7).
His road shutouts were both 1-0 shootout losses.
"I didn't even know that," Raffl said. "Every night he gives us the
chances to win. It's probably why we're in the position we are; we
haven't got it done on the road."
Vancouver goalie Eddie Lack, making a 12th consecutive appearance
with starter Ryan Miller injured, stopped 27 of 28 shots to improve
to 12-9-3.
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Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said Lack made two tremendous saves
with the game still tied that most people probably didn't even
notice.
"There were a couple really big ones there," Desjardins said. "It's
great for us to see, he saved us. (The Flyers) have a high offensive
machine, and if they get a couple, they'll get excited."
The Flyers did ring two pucks off the posts.
"I felt good out there," Lack said. "We played good defensively, and
it was just a good win for us."
The Canucks are 3-1-0 with one game to go on a five-game homestand.
They play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
The Flyers have two more road games, at Calgary on Thursday and at
Edmonton on Saturday, before heading home. They are 0-1-1 to start
their four-game Canadian trip.
"We're playing well, two plays and it's 3-1," Flyers coach Craig
Berube said. "They shot-blocked and they counter fast.
"I think we out-chanced them in the game. We have to do a better job
of getting pucks through and not getting them blocked."
NOTES: The Canucks honored former player and coach Pat Quinn
pregame, and part of a street leading to Rogers Arena was named
after him. Quinn, when a Leafs defenseman, once knocked out Bobby
Orr with a hit and sparked a brawl in the 1969 playoffs. He was
twice named the NHL's top coach: with the Flyers in 1980, when the
team set an NHL record of 35 consecutive games unbeaten, and in 1992
with the Canucks. He also coached the Leafs, Oilers and Canada's
gold-medal team at the 2002 Olympics. ... Flyers C Nick Cousins made
his NHL debut after RW Matt Read returned to Philadelphia for the
birth of his first child. ... Canucks RW Zack Kassian was sidelined
due to a stiff back, but LW Alex Burrows returned after missing one
game with a groin ailment. ... A 13-2 Philadelphia win over the
Canucks on Oct. 18, 1984, still holds several spots in the Flyers
record book, including largest winning margin and most goals.
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