Canucks slip past Blue Jackets in shootout 1-0

[March 27, 2013]  VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Cory Schneider stopped 17 shots and Maxim Lapierre scored the only goal in a shootout and the Vancouver Canucks won their fifth straight by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 on Tuesday.

Schneider only saw two shots in the first period, but stopped 15 in the final 45 minutes for his seventh career shutout, and third this season.

He stopped all three Columbus attempts in the shootout, including Matt Calvert's deke attempt to clinch the win.

The Canucks moved past Minnesota into third place in the Western Conference, regaining the Northwest Division lead, though the Wild have two games in hand.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves for Columbus, which lost its second in a row but is still on a 7-1-3 run.

Columbus was outshot 13-2 in the opening period, and didn't register a shot on its only power play of the period.

The Canucks came out firing in the second period, with Henrik Sedin getting two quality looks in the first minute. But Bobrovsky turned both aside to keep the game scoreless, then five minutes later robbed Jordan Schroeder's one-timer from the slot.

Columbus finally got its first good look past the game's halfway mark. Off a 3-on-2 rush, Nick Foligno got a wrist shot away from the low slot but Schneider turned it away.

Vancouver got an early power play in the third period and the fans thought Canucks defenseman Jason Garrison had a goal when it grazed Bobrovsky's arm and trickled through the crease, but Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson snagged it off the goal line.

Columbus nearly got one past Schneider with about eight minutes to go in regulation when Foligno got in close, but the Vancouver netminder steered the puck away and Ryan Johansen was unable to corral the rebound.

Foligno had another scoring chance in the final minute, but his shot was kicked aside by defenseman Dan Hamhuis, sending the game to overtime.

Foligno had another scoring chance in overtime, but it was the Canucks who had the best one. Jannik Hansen got by a defender to get a breakaway, but Bobrovsky stuck with the deke and Hansen couldn't tuck the puck around his left pad.

NOTES: Vancouver was without Ryan Kesler (foot), Zack Kassian (back) as well as forwards Steve Pinnizotto and Dale Weise. ... Columbus was without James Wisniewski, out day to day with a foot injury. Brandon Dubinsky is also day to day with a lower-body injury.

[Associated Press]

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