Gameday 73 (Mon, 01 Apr) - Results

NY Islanders v New Jersey 3-1 -  New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano feels it isn't so much about X's and O's this time of the year, but more about the will and compete level exhibited by your hockey club down the stretch. In other words, the intestinal fortitude and competitiveness that Capuano witnessed from his charges on Monday against the New Jersey Devils in a workmanlike 3-1 victory before 17,625 at Prudential Center. The gritty Islanders received goals from Josh Bailey, Travis Hamonic and John Tavares while getting 24 saves from goalie Evgeni Nabokov to continue their late-season surge in an attempt to secure a Stanley Cup Playoff berth for the first time in six seasons. Tavares' 22nd goal of the season at the 9:13 mark of the third gave the Islanders (17-16-3) a 3-1 lead. With his team on the power play, Lubomir Visnovsky centered a pass through the crease from the left circle that deflected off Martin Brodeur's stick to Tavares in the right circle. The center then easily ripped a shot over a fallen Brodeur. The goal was the eighth for the Islanders with the man advantage against the Devils in five games this season. The Devils would pull Brodeur with just under two minutes remaining in the third, but the Islanders defense, backstopped by Nabokov, denied New Jersey's final push. Nabokov, who was making his sixth start in 11 days, recorded his 17th victory of the season. The 37-year-old kept his team ahead, 2-1, on a splendid left pad save 6:57 into the third when he denied Patrik Elias off a ticketed tip-in at the right post. The victory moves the Islanders two points closer to the Devils in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race. The Devils are currently seventh in the conference with 15 wins and 39 points. The Islanders, seeking their first playoff berth since 2006-07, are ninth with 17 wins and 37 points. DeBoer was referring to the fact the Devils found themselves behind, 2-0, just 7:14 into the first when Bailey and Hamonic connected for first-period goals. The Devils, who are 8-4-2 against the Atlantic Division this season, dropped to 3-11-5 when allowing the first goal of the game. On the contrary, New Jersey is 12-1-4 when scoring first. The Islanders, who closed out their four-game road swing with a 3-1-0 record, will face the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Brodeur, who finished with 18 saves, dropped to 2-1-3 since returning to the lineup from a pinched nerve in his neck on March 21. The Devils were basically two players short for much of the game. Tom Kostopoulos was forced to exit the game 11:22 into the first after taking a tremendous right punch to the chin from Islanders forward Matt Martin during a fight in the neutral zone. DeBoer informed the media after the game that Kostopoulos, who was sticking up for teammate Stephen Gionta at the time he dropped the gloves with Martin, was "going to be all right." Following a lackluster start, the Devils showed some desperation in the second and were rewarded as Alexei Ponikarovsky pulled his team within 2-1 after backhanding a pass from Patrik Elias past Nabokov at the 8:01 mark. Elias made the play possible when he took a pass from Zajac in the neutral zone and skated hard down his left wing before curling toward the net and feathering a pass to Ponikarovsky in the slot. The goal by Ponikarovsky, who hit the crossbar on a big shot 4:42 into the second, was his first since Feb. 15. The Islanders extended their lead to 2-0 at the 7:14 mark of the first when Hamonic collected a faceoff win by Frans Nielsen in the left circle and skated just above the opposite circle before unleashing a wrist shot from 50 feet that beat an apparently screened Brodeur high on the short side. Bailey opened the scoring just 52 seconds into the first when he took a feed from Nielsen off a 2-on-1 breakout against Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky before backhanding an attempt past Brodeur.

Winnipeg v NY Rangers 2-4 - After going more than two full games without a goal, the New York Rangers appeared to be back on track after scoring on the first shift of the game. But it took a huge performance from the team's captain to rally back for a big win Monday. Derek Stepan scored two goals, including the game-winner, and captain Ryan Callahan collected four points as the Rangers beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 at Madison Square Garden. Callahan and Rick Nash also scored for the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves for the win. Nik Antropov and Zach Bogosian provided the Jets’ scoring, while Ondrej Pavelec finished with 31 stops. The win pulled the eighth-place Rangers within two points of the New Jersey Devils for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers own a game in hand on their cross-Hudson River rivals. Despite the loss, the Jets maintained their four-point lead in the Southeast Division over the Carolina Hurricanes, who hold three games in hand. New York appeared to overcome its recent scoring futility when Stepan took a feed from Callahan and beat Pavelec just 19 seconds into the contest. But that momentum wouldn't last, as Antropov replied 56 seconds later, finding the puck alone in front of the net before beating Lundqvist between the legs. Although it took more than seven minutes for the Rangers to record a second shot after their early goal, Stepan made a big defensive play midway through the period, stopping a shot by Kyle Wellwood as Lundqvist lay out of position. It was yet another big moment for the line of Stepan, Callahan and Nash, who combined for eight points and a plus-11 rating. That chemistry proved vital when the Jets took a 2-1 lead despite losing Grant Clitsome after the defenseman took a stick to the eye early in the first and did not return. With just over seven minutes to play in the opening period, Zach Bogosian's point shot deflected past Lundqvist, marking just the third time all season that the Jets have scored multiple goals in the first period. New York came out firing in the second, out-shooting Winnipeg 10-1 to open the period and mounting a ferocious fore-check that wore down the Jets' depleted defense. When the Rangers needed it most, they got a highlight-reel play from Callahan that tied the game. With Dan Girardi in the box for tripping and Mats Zuccarello having just finished serving a high-sticking penalty, Callahan came in from the right side and deked Pavelec before backhanding the puck into the net to give the Rangers’ captain his first goal in nine games. Lundqvist kept the score tied late in the period when he made a remarkable toe save on Bryan Little and the Rangers never looked back. Stepan notched the game-winner 5:46 into the third when he found a rebound off Anton Stralman's shot and gave New York a lead it would not relinquish. Just seconds before the goal, Bogosian was momentarily hobbled after taking a Callahan shot off the foot, giving Stepan just a little extra space beside the net. Nash put the game away with 6:53 remaining in the period, pivoting with the puck at the left faceoff circle before notching his 13th of the season. It was a big goal for the All-Star, who came into the game with three goals in his previous 11 games; well off his early-season scoring pace. Even before scoring, Nash showed signs of life playing alongside Stepan and Callahan. His finest scoring chance may have come three minutes into the third, when he stole the puck at the blue line and went to his backhand, only to be stopped by Pavelec. The Rangers scoring slump may be over, but their path to the postseason doesn't get any easier. They next play a home-and-home series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who with a win Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres will face off against the Rangers on Wednesday night just one win shy of tying the NHL record of 17 straight wins, set by the Penguins in 1992-93.

Carolina v Montreal 1-4 - Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien hasn't had much to complain about this season, but one area he felt his team needed to improve was on the penalty kill. Like just about everything else their coach has asked them to do, the Canadiens have responded to that request. The Carolina Hurricanes were shut out on five power play opportunities and dropped the third of three meetings this season with the Canadiens by a 4-1 score at Bell Centre on Monday. The Canadiens played six games over those 10 days, and their penalty killers were successful on 17 of 19 opportunities, a rate of 89.5 percent. Also over that span, the Canadiens picked up center Jeff Halpern off waivers from the New York Rangers and right wing Brandon Prust came back from a separated shoulder, and the two have greatly helped improve that area of Montreal's game. Max Pacioretty scored twice and Andrei Markov and Halpern also scored for the Canadiens (23-7-5), who won their third straight to open a three-point gap between themselves and the Boston Bruins atop the Northeast Division. Pacioretty snapped a five-game goal drought and his line with David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher combined to register 15 of Montreal's 29 shots in the game. Carey Price made 18 saves for Montreal in his 300th career game. The Hurricanes (16-16-2) got the game's first goal from Jordan Staal and a second straight strong performance from goaltender Justin Peters, but it wasn't enough to prevent the team's eighth loss in nine games. Peters stopped 25 shots one game after a 34-save performance in a 3-1 win in Winnipeg on Saturday. The loss was made all the more painful by the victories of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, as the eighth- and ninth-place teams in the East moved three points ahead of Carolina in the fight for the final playoff spot in the conference. The Rangers did beat the Winnipeg Jets in regulation; however, Carolina remains four points behind the Southeast Division leaders. The game could have had a different outcome were it not for an anemic Carolina power play that had just two shots on goal on five chances, and which has connected just once in its last 17 opportunities over four games. The Canadiens' power play did indeed score once on three chances. It has now converted at least once in five of Montreal's last six games and is 6-for-20 over that span, a success rate of 30 percent. Staal opened the scoring at 3:38 of the first on a Carolina 3-on-2 rush for his ninth of the season, but the Canadiens tied it when Markov scored a power-play goal on a blast from the point at 15:03 of the first. Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban earned an assist on the Markov goal, giving him a goal and six assists in his last three games. Halpern scored his first goal since Feb. 25, 2012 at 1:46 of the second period on a wrist shot from the slot, with defenseman Nathan Beaulieu earning his first career NHL point with an assist. Pacioretty got an insurance goal for Montreal at 10:58 of the third when he drove hard to the net and put in his own rebound for his first goal in six games and his second in the last 13 to make it 3-1 Montreal. Pacioretty added an empty-netter with 29.4 seconds to play for his 11th of the season.

Colorado v Detroit 2-3 - The Detroit Red Wings were seeking a confidence-boosting win coming off a lopsided loss. Damien Brunner ended his 15-game scoring drought to give Detroit a three-goal lead, and the Red Wings needed the cushion to hold off the Colorado Avalanche for a 3-2 win Monday at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings were routed 7-1 by Chicago on Sunday for a second straight setback. Detroit looked as though it was going to roll to an easy victory against the Avs, but the two-point victory didn't come easy. Jimmy Howard had to make a save, getting his glove on PA Parenteau's shot with 7 seconds to seal the win and prevent the game from going into overtime. The Avs are tied with Florida for the fewest points in the NHL and have lost nine of their last 11 games. They're 6-17-2 when an opponent scores first, 3-17-1 when trailing after two periods and 7-6-4 in one-goal games. Justin Abdelkader scored late in the first period, Danny Cleary put Detroit ahead by two at 6:28 of the second and Brunner had a one-timer a few minutes later. Colorado avoided a shutout with a power-play goal at 14:08 of the third period when Jamie McGinn's backhander from between the circles sailed over a sprawling Howard. Avalanche forward Cody McLeod checked Detroit defenseman Brendan Smith into Howard, who couldn't get off the ice in time to stop McGinn's shot. Colorado pulled goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who had replaced starting goalie Semyon Varlamov, and the extra skater helped. Matt Duchene scored to make it 3-2 with 1:18 left, but the Avs couldn't score again to earn a rare point. Varlamov, coming off a 1-0 shutout win over Nashville, gave up two goals on four shots in the pivotal second period and finished with 10 saves. Giguere stopped each of the seven shots he faced, including three in the second period when he relieved Varlamov. Against the Blackhawks on Sunday, Howard gave up four goals on 14 shots. Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg missed his second straight game with a groin injury and is day-to-day. Abdelkader hit a hip-high rebound out of the air and into the net to put the Red Wings up 1-0 with 4:03 left in the first period. It was his seventh point in eight games but his first since his first three-goal, four-point game March 22 against the Anaheim Ducks. Cleary scored on a power play from the front of the crease off a behind-the-net pass from Johan Franzen, who also assisted on the first goal. Brunner's 11th goal was his first since Feb. 24, when he had two goals and four points against Vancouver. The 27-year-old, first-year player is too old to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, but he doesn't have any regrets about not coming to play in the League sooner.

St Louis v Minnesota 4-1 - One of the best home teams in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild laid an egg Monday against the St. Louis Blues. Jaden Schwartz scored a goal midway through the first and Andy McDonald and Kevin Shattenkirk added tallies in the second en route to a 4-1 victory at Xcel Energy Center. Entering Monday's game, Minnesota was 13-3-1 at home this season, including a 9-1-1 mark in its last 11 games. But from the drop of the puck Monday, the Wild could not find traction against a big, strong Blues team that physically took it to Minnesota all night long. Some in the Minnesota room said afterwards the game was reminiscent of the Wild's early-season struggles, which saw the team get off to a 6-6-2 start. It's been hot lately, winning more games in the month of March than any other team in the Western Conference and entered Monday winners in eight of nine overall. Minnesota has needed third period comebacks in each of its last two victories, however, and Parise said that early-season sloppiness had started to creep back into the Wild's game. While it got away with it in wins over the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings last week, the Blues made it pay Monday. The Blues never trailed, going ahead 1-0 at 12:32 in the first period when Schwartz took advantage of a Minnesota turnover at its own blue line, skated to the right hash and snapped a shot past Niklas Backstrom for his fourth of the season. St. Louis outshot Minnesota 12-5 in the opening period. Tied at one midway through the second, McDonald gave St. Louis the lead for good when he gathered in a rebound of his own shot in front, went to the left post and beat Backstrom at 12:17. The tally was McDonald's fourth of the season and first since Feb. 17. The Blues extended their lead to 3-1 less than two minutes later when a blast from the point by Shattenkirk found its way through traffic for his third of the season. Minnesota had a heavy shot advantage in the third period, but the Blues were able to keep a majority of the Grade-A chances away from Elliott, who entered the game in the final minute of the opening period after starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak suffered a lower-body injury. Elliott, who just rejoined the Blues on Saturday after a conditioning stint with Peoria of the American Hockey League, stopped 19 of 20 shots in his first action since Mar. 5 to improve to 4-6-1 on the season. Asked about entering the game cold, especially after a long layoff, Elliott said it's simply a part of the job. The Blues were only able to put two shots on Backstrom in the final 20 minutes, but scored an insurance marker with 50 seconds left in regulation on a snap shot by Barret Jackman. Minnesota went 0-for-5 on the power play and gained little momentum from any of its chances. Dany Heatley scored the lone goal for Minnesota, his 10th of the season, as one chance expired. But even the advantage that led to the goal was out of sync. Heatley buried a rebound of a shot from the point by Jonas Brodin that, at first, Elliott had appeared to glove. While the Blues lost Halak early on, Minnesota also lost Koivu for a stretch in the first period after he got high-sticked in the face. He returned to the game after missing a couple of shifts. The Wild are more concerned about the immediate future of second-line center Matt Cullen, who left the game in the final minutes of the second period and did not return. Yeo would not elaborate after the game on Cullen's injury or status and said he would provide an update Tuesday. Backstrom made 20 saves and saw his personal eight-game winning streak snapped with the loss. The defeat was also Minnesota's first by more than two goals since Feb. 7.

Nashville v Chicago 2-3 - It could've been one of those sequences that led to a complete unraveling for Corey Crawford. Instead, the Chicago Blackhawks goalie shook off a pair of shaky goals he allowed early in the third period on Monday at United Center and helped his team grind out a gritty 3-2 shootout win against the Nashville Predators. Chicago won the shootout in the fifth round when, of all people, defenseman Michal Rozsival beat Pekka Rinne with a backhand and Crawford stopped Taylor Beck to end it. That's because of what happened in the first 10 minutes of the third, when Nashville stormed back into the game after trailing 2-0 heading into the final period. David Legwand cut Chicago's lead to 2-1 just 3:56 into the third by jabbing a loose puck underneath a diving Crawford on an otherwise harmless play and the Predators came to life after being dominated. They swarmed the Blackhawks net and tied it 2-2 on a goal by Beck at 7:26 of the third, with Crawford making the initial stop on that one and watching helplessly as the puck slid over the goal line behind him. Instead of melting down, Crawford stiffened his resolve and made a number of key saves down the stretch to help get the game to overtime and then the breakaways. As a result, the Blackhawks didn't have to stew about blowing another late lead and "leaving points on the table," as Quenneville calls it. It looked like a Chicago victory was going to come pretty easily after 40 minutes. Brandon Saad scored his third goal in two games with just 11.3 seconds left in the first to make it 1-0 and Patrick Kane scored his 19th goal of the season in the second for a 2-0 lead. Chicago (27-5-3) led 27-11 in shots after two periods and could've been ahead by a lot more than two goals were it not for the stellar goaltending of Rinne (38 saves). Then came the third, when Legwand's goal flipped everything around. And it wasn't all Crawford's doing. The Predators were literally skating circles around the Blackhawks at times in the offensive zone, making 5-on-5 play look like a Nashville power play. The Predators (14-14-8) made sure of it and, though disappointed not to win, were satisfied with getting a point out of this game. They now have 36 points and sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, just two points back of the St. Louis Blues who are currently clinging to the eighth and final qualifying spot for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nashville has now earned points in five of its last six games despite not winning in three straight. The Predators also have seven of their next eight games at home and get two more cracks at the Blackhawks this coming weekend, once in the Music City and one more time in Chicago.

Anaheim v Dallas 4-0 - One day after Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan called his team's effort "embarrassing" in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, his club delivered another less-than-memorable performance in a 4-0 defeat to the Anaheim Ducks before 13,748 at American Airlines Center on Monday. After a scoreless first period, Anaheim victimized Dallas for three goals within 4:49 in the second. Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Matt Beleskey and Teemu Selanne each scored for the Ducks, while Viktor Fasth stopped all 26 shots he faced for his third career shutout and 12th win of the season. Selanne added an empty-netter with 32 seconds left, his ninth goal of the season, to make it a 4-0 final. Ryan Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan each had two points for the Ducks, who are now 11-3-5 on the road. Dallas was shut out for the fourth time this season and for the first time in nine games, since a 4-0 home loss to the Nashville Predators on March 12. The Stars finished their season-long five-game homestand with a disappointing mark of 2-3-0. The Stars looked to get on the board early when wing Loui Eriksson attempted to slip a wrister into the left side of the Anaheim net, but his 21-foot attempt from the left faceoff circle whistled off the crossbar. Dallas had another quality chance right before the first intermission when Jamie Benn had a nice look at the Anaheim net at 19:24, but Fasth was able to get his blocker in front of Benn's wrist shot and send it wide. Perry concurred with his coach that Fasth's big saves in the opening 20 minutes went a long way in he and his teammates having some momentum in the second period. After a penalty-free opening period, Dallas went on the power play at 1:48 of the second when Selanne was whistled for high sticking on Stars center Cody Eakin. At 5:43, the Stars gained the man advantage for a second time after Bryan Allen was called for elbowing Dallas' Francis Wathier. Just seven seconds into the power play, Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski took a 35-foot slapper from the left circle, but Fasth came up with a glove save to stop play at 5:50. The Ducks went on the power play for the first time at 8:57 when Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas was called for hooking on Ryan. And at 10:13, it was Ryan who put the visitors ahead, beating Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen short side with a 28-foot wrister. Getzlaf got the primary assist after a pinpoint cross-ice pass from the left circle to Ryan, who converted for his 10th of the season. Anaheim then made it a 2-0 game when Perry tapped in a rebound at 12:52 for his 12th of the season. Getzlaf's initial shot was deflected by Ryan. Perry had a step on Robidas and quickly flipped in a wrister for the Ducks' second of the period. The Ducks added a third goal in the middle period when Beleskey knocked in his own rebound at 15:02. Former Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray flipped a high-flying pass from behind the Anaheim net that teammate Kyle Palmieri controlled near the Dallas blue line. Palmieri then flipped the puck to Beleskey, whose first backhand was denied at the near post by Lehtonen. However, Beleskey stuck with it and flipped in the rebound from in front of the Dallas net, beating Lehtonen with a backhand for his sixth of the season, making it 3-0. Dallas did go on the power play twice more in the third, the first time at 6:49 when Ben Lovejoy was guilty of high sticking on Eric Nystrom, and the second at 10:25 when Francois Beauchemin tripped Eriksson. However, the Stars were unable to convert on the first opportunity and saw their second man advantage of the period cut short when Jaromir Jagr was guilty of hooking just 33 seconds after the Beauchemin penalty. The Stars pulled Lehtonen with 1:18 remaining, but were unable to muster any additional chances with the extra skater. Selanne's empty-netter with 32 seconds left sealed the deal. With the loss, the Stars fall to 8-9-2 at home. Lehtonen stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced in a losing effort. These same two clubs will meet twice more this week, with the Ducks hosting the Stars on Wednesday and Friday at Honda Center.

Calgary v Edmonton 1-4 - The Edmonton Oilers continued their push for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday. Justin Schultz had a goal and two assists as the Oilers cruised to a 4-1 victory against the Calgary Flames at Rexall Place. Taylor Hall, Ryan Jones and Nail Yakupov also scored for the Oilers (15-13-7) who have won four straight and have gone 7-2-2 in their past 11 games. With the win, the Oilers kept pace in the tight Western Conference playoff race, sitting in a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets, one point back of the eighth-place St. Louis Blues. Dubnyk had 33 saves for the win. Brian McGratton scored the lone goal for the Flames (13-17-4), who dealt veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to St. Louis shortly before the contest. The Flames have lost two in a row and six of their past eight games. Edmonton struck first just before the four-minute mark to start the opening period as Hall spotted Schultz creeping in from the point and fed him the puck in the slot where the rookie was able to beat Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff for his sixth of the season. The pair reversed spots on the scoresheet midway through the first as Schultz picked off a pass in the Calgary zone and sent it to Hall in front. Hall was able to freeze Kiprusoff with a deft move and then lift in a backhand for his fourth goal in the past two games. Edmonton scored on both of its first two shots in the game, similar to what happened in their 4-0 blanking of the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The Oilers went up 3-0 with three-and-a-half minutes to play in the first as Jones beat Cory Sarich to a puck along the boards and muscled a one-handed backhand shot that somehow got through Kiprusoff. The veteran goalie, who many believe may have been playing in his final game as a Flame, was yanked in favor of backup Joey MacDonald after allowing three goals on six shots. The game slowed considerably in the scoreless second period with the best chances belonging to the Flames, however Dubnyk was able to come up with a pair of big saves on a tip by Curtis Glencross and a nice move by McGratton. The Oilers put the game away for good midway through the third as MacDonald got a piece of a Yakupov shot from the slot, only to see it dribble in behind him. It was the first goal in 17 games and seventh on the season for the 2012 first-overall draft pick. Calgary spoiled Dubnyk's hopes of earning a second consecutive shutout with just 1:32 left as McGrattan scored. The teams will face each other again in Calgary on Wednesday.

Vancouver v San Jose 2-3 - Make it five in a row for the surging San Jose Sharks. Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist during a second-period scoring flurry and the Sharks edged the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 at HP Pavilion on Monday for their fifth straight victory. San Jose broke a scoreless tie with three goals in a span of 2:13 against Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider, then held on and completed a season sweep of Vancouver. It didn't come easy, as the Canucks got goals from Chris Higgins and Alexandre Burrows to pull within one. But the Sharks prevailed and extended their longest win streak since taking seven straight to open the season. Trade speculation continues to swirl around Sharks forward Ryane Clowe, who was a healthy scratch, but the Sharks are grabbing enough attention for what's happening on the ice. They remain in the No. 6 playoff position in the Western Conference, but trail the Los Angeles Kings by just one point for the fifth spot. The Sharks dominated the first period, outshooting Vancouver 14-6, but they couldn't convert a couple of prime opportunities. Things changed quickly in the second period. Andrew Desjardins beat Schneider from the left side at the 7:41 mark to break a scoreless tie, and less than a minute later Thornton outfought a Canucks player for a loose puck just inside the blue line and blasted a wrister that found the net for a 2-0 lead. The Sharks then sent a sellout home crowd into hysterics with an electrifying sequence after a penalty to Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa. San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi made a terrific save on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity for Jannik Hansen, and the Sharks immediately headed back the other way. Patrick Marleau sent a pass to Logan Couture in front of the net, and Couture appeared to knock the puck into the net with his skate at 9:54. The play was reviewed but the goal was upheld, as it was ruled that Couture didn't intentionally kick the puck in. Just like that, the Canucks were behind 3-0, and the Sharks' scoring blitz had to provide a bad case of déjà vu. On Saturday, the Canucks allowed four goals on their first five shots allowed in a 4-0 loss to Edmonton. Vancouver, currently holding the No. 4 seed in the West, tried to shake its recent offensive slump, calling up highly touted winger Nicklas Jensen. The 20-year-old made his NHL debut and played on the top line alongside Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Winger Bill Sweatt also was called up from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League and played in just his third NHL game.