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 The right winger scored two goals and got into a third-period
fight, and left winger Zack Kassian dished out a game-high eight
hits as the Vancouver Canucks posted a 4-1 victory over Carolina
Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Carolina (0-6-2) remains the NHL's lone winless team. Vancouver
(6-3-0) won for the third time in four games.
Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 29 shots to earn his 300th
career victory.
Richardson admitted he was feeling the pressure after not scoring in
eight games this season. He got his first of the year on a wrist
shot with the game just 92 seconds old, then sealed the win by
scoring into an empty net in the dying seconds of the third.
"It was nice to get the zero off the boards," Richardson said. "You
get to that 10-game mark, you don't want to be sitting there with
zeros."
Most of the Canucks' scoring this season has come from the top line
of center Henrik Sedin, left winger Daniel Sedin and right winger
Radim Vrbata.
Against Carolina, the third line of Richardson, Kassian and center
Shawn Matthias not only showed some offensive skill put played very
physically.
"I thought that was probably our best game as a line," Richardson
said. "It has to come every night. We have a couple of big guys on
our line. We can turn the tide of a game and get them on their heels
a little bit."
Miller didn't have to make many tough saves during the game but was
satisfied with reaching the 300-win plateau.
"It feels good," said Miller, signed as a free agent this summer
after playing 11 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and then completing
last season with the St. Louis Blues. "It's a collection of a lot of
good teams and a lot of good players over the years. It's been a lot
of fun. This win, with this group, feels good."
Richardson said Miller's play is one reason why the Canucks are off
to a strong start.
"He's been unbelievable all year," Richardson said. "He probably
kept us in that game. Too bad we couldn't get him the shutout."
Right winger Linden Vey, on the power play, and right winger Jannik
Hansen also scored for Vancouver.
Left winger Jiri Tlusty scored for Carolina in the third period.
Center Eric Staal, the Carolina captain who returned to the lineup
after missing five games with an upper-body injury, earned an
assist.
It was another frustrating night for the Hurricanes. They were
outplayed most of the game and couldn't convert on the chances they
had.
"It's just execution," Staal said. "We just weren't good enough.
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"We didn't deserve to win. We didn't move the puck well enough, and
it causes turnovers and causes you to play in your end, and that
wasn't an area where we were strong."
Coach Bill Peters said the Hurricanes have to return home and
regroup. After a five-game road trip, Carolina plays host to the
Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.
"We're not happy with where we are at, obviously," Peters said. "We
need to reset for sure. We have to be honest about our commitment
and our focus and our willingness to do what it takes to win."
The Canucks rattled the Hurricanes with Richardson's early goal. Vey
doubled the lead in the first minute of the second period. Hansen
made it 3-0 with 1:21 left in the second when he deflected a shot by
defenseman Yannick Weber past Carolina goaltender Cam Ward.
"Those are huge (for) momentum," said Hansen of scoring late in the
period. "They are trying to get a little bit of spark, and we were
able to put one past them. It's never fun to be on the receiving end
of those ones."
Miller said getting the early lead opened up the ice for Vancouver.
"When we have our legs and we are skating, we can really apply some
pressure," he said. "We have got off to some great starts in some of
these games. It's good to see them get rewarded."
NOTES: Vancouver C Henrik Sedin missed Monday's practice due to a
"maintenance" day and Tuesday morning's optional skate but dressed
for the game. ... D Ryan Stanton, out with a groin injury, practiced
with the Canucks for a second day and is close to playing. ... The
Canucks end a three-game homestand by facing the Montreal Canadiens
on Thursday night. ... Hurricanes LW Jeff Skinner, who missed the
first four games of the season with a concussion, scored his first
goal of the season in Carolina's 6-3 loss to Edmonton Friday. ...
The Hurricanes set a franchise record for longest winless streak to
start the season, beating the previous high of five games in 1987
and 2003. ... Carolina last won in Vancouver on Oct. 15, 1999.
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