Kassian's 3rd-Period Goal Lifts Canucks Over Ducks, 2-1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Zack Kassian's third-period goal lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Bo Horvat had the other goal for Vancouver, and Eddie Lack stopped 29 shots as the Canucks beat the Ducks in regulation for the first time in more than two years.
Emerson Etem had the lone goal for the Ducks, who have dropped two straight after winning four in a row. Frederik Andersen made 14 saves.
Kassian snapped a 1-1 tie with 3:59 left after Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis took the puck down the left side and fed the big forward, who fired a shot that Andersen got only a piece of for his 10th of the season.
Nate Thompson hit the post behind Lack moments after Kassian put Vancouver ahead, but the Canucks held on after also killing a penalty for their first victory over Anaheim in a 60-minute game since Jan. 25, 2013 -- a stretch of 10 games.
Etem tied this one 1-1 at 8:40 of the third period after the Canucks failed to clear their zone. Thompson grabbed the puck behind the Vancouver net and fed Etem, who scored his fifth goal past a helpless Lack.
That seemed to ignite the Canucks. Vancouver recorded the next five shots -- their first five of the period -- before Shawn Matthias fanned on another attempt from the slot at an open net.
Anaheim had a great chance with just over five minutes to go, but Corey Perry's shot that squeaked through Lack stopped on the goal line before the puck was frozen by the sprawling goalie.
With the Canucks ahead 1-0 after the first period, Lack stretched to make a great pad save off Perry on a power play early in the second.
Anaheim led 20-10 in shots through 40 minutes, including 8-5 in the middle period, but Vancouver did a good job of keeping the Ducks to the outside.
After allowing the first goal in six straight games, and having gone down 2-0 in each of their previous four, the Canucks opened the scoring at 9:57 of the first period. Horvat jumped on a loose puck in the slot and ripped in his 11th of the season, and second in two games.
It marked just the fifth time in 22 games that Vancouver scored first, but it was one of only a handful of chances against an Anaheim team that had a number of grade-A opportunities against Lack.
Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf hit the crossbar a minute into the game before Lack stoned Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler with a nice pad save moments after Horvat's goal.
Fowler then looked skyward after firing over a wide-open net on a power play later in the period.
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