Canucks 4 - 1 Blues
Final
  for this game

Canucks continue dominance of Blues

Mar 31, 2015 - 4:09 AM St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - The Vancouver Canucks had been stumbling of late. A matchup with the slumping St. Louis Blues couldn't have come at a better time.

Eddie Lack made 23 saves and the Canucks got goals from four different players in a 4-1 victory over the Blues on Monday night.

Vancouver's win was the sixth straight over St. Louis and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Canucks hold a slim lead on second place in the Pacific Division.

"They're a good team, and for whatever reason, we've have some good fortune (against them)," said Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins.

Brian Elliott gave up three goals on 21 shots for the Blues, who have dropped five of six and squandered a chance to clinch a playoff spot.

"Obviously we're having trouble breaking out of our little slump here," Elliott said.

St. Louis may have lost more than just a game. Leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko left in the third period with an apparent leg injury. The Blues were already playing without forward Alexander Steen (lower-body injury).

Coach Ken Hitchcock had no update on Tarasenko, who suffered the injury when he was tripped by Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa. He will be evaluated on Tuesday.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Canucks struck first at the 3:54 mark of the second period. St. Louis made a poor line change and Chris Tanev sprung Shawn Matthias on a breakaway. Tanev fired a pass from the Vancouver zone to Matthias, who gathered the puck at the St. Louis blueline and beat Elliott with a deke to the forehand.

Elliott had made a glove save to rob Jannik Hansen on a short-handed breakaway a minute earlier.

Zbynek Michalek tied it for the Blues with 7:16 remaining in the second. Michalek, who saved a goal in the first period, scored on a slap shot that went through heavy traffic and past Lack's right shoulder.

Vancouver regained the lead just 31 seconds later. Bieksa's shot caromed off the end boards out to Nick Bonino, who put the puck into an open net.

Radim Vrbata put the Canucks ahead 3-1 on a 2-on-1 rush at 7:06 of the third period, firing a shot off the inside of Elliott's blocker, and Alexandre Burrows scored an empty-net goal with 1:31 remaining.

Game Notes

The Canucks began a four-game trip with their fourth straight road win ... Lack improved to 5-0-0 lifetime against St. Louis ... The Blues haven't beaten the Canucks since April 16, 2013.






Related News