Canucks 3 - 2 Flyers
Final
  for this game

Canucks get the best of reeling Flyers

Oct 16, 2013 - 2:34 AM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Kesler scored a pair of goals, including the deciding tally with 2:25 left in regulation, as the Vancouver Canucks upended the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, on Tuesday.

"He could have easily had a couple tonight," said Canucks head coach John Tortorella. "He just needs to stay playing in the areas he's been playing at and just keep banging away."

Chris Higgins added a goal and one assist, with Henrik Sedin posting two helpers for the Canucks, who kicked off their seven-game road trip by snapping a two-game slide.

Roberto Luongo stopped 20 shots for the win.

"It was a nice one, especially since the couple of guys that scored goals had been working hard all year so far, but hadn't gotten rewarded much," the veteran netminder said. "So it's nice that they both contributed in a huge way there."

Tye McGinn registered his first career two-goal effort for the Flyers, who dropped to 1-6-0 on the year. Steve Mason made 22 stops in the loss.

Matt Read cranked a shot off the crossbar from the right circle with six minutes played in the third, and that cost the Flyers as the Canucks tied the game soon after.

Higgins waited on the left side unmarked to one-time a pass from Sedin at 7:31 for a 2-2 deadlock.

It was 3-2 for the visitors with 2:25 left in regulation. Mason made a great save on the right side to deny Higgins, but the rebound popped to Kesler for a successful chance on the left side.

The Flyers capitalized on a shaky Luongo with 7:34 left in the first period, when McGinn followed up a Niklas Grossmann shot and backhanded the rebound home while diving towards the crease.

It was a carbon copy of the call-up's first goal of the season, which came in Detroit during Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Red Wings.

Just 10 seconds later, Kesler evened the score. Mason attempted to stop a wrap-around on the end boards but misplayed the carom, and the Vancouver forward chipped the loose disc into the empty cage.

"Yeah, it didn't get to me but I went right after it and made a play up the middle," Mason said of his misfortune. "You can't let things like that affect you, you can't always control what the puck does. You control what you do after that and I thought we played a pretty strong game."

Mason sprawled out to stifle a Jannik Hansen break-in on the second shift of the middle period, and it was 2-1 for the hosts at 2:10 when McGinn was at the left post to poke home a broken-up centering feed from Jakub Voracek that deflected off Claude Giroux.

"You know we were going 2-1 in that third period and to give up two goals against them in the third it definitely bites you in the tongue," McGinn said. "We have to find ways to win."

Game Notes

Coming into the contest, the Canucks sported the second-worst defense in the Western Conference with 20 goals against in six games ... Sedin's assist on Higgins' score gave him 800 career points, the first player in Vancouver history to have recorded all 800 with the club ... McGinn has registered goals in back-to-back games for the second time in his young career, having done so on February 11-12 of this year against Toronto and Winnipeg ... Philadelphia played its first home game against the Canucks -- then an expansion team -- 43 years ago today, recording a 5-4 victory .. The Flyers have been outscored by a 10-2 margin in third periods.






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