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Henrik Sedin gives Canucks rare home win

Nov 10, 2007 - 6:54 AM VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- With his team struggling in its own building, Henrik Sedin took it upon himself to lead the Vancouver Canucks to victory.

Sedin scored his second goal of the game 82 seconds into overtime, giving the Canucks a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.

Roberto Luongo made 24 saves for Vancouver, which halted a four-game home skid in improving to 2-6-0 at General Motors Place.

"We haven't played good enough to win at home," Sedin said. "This is the way we have to play at home. We can't come in here to make the crowd happy and play a cute game."

"Our success so far at home this year has been a little bit limited, but it hasn't been from lack of willingness on the part of the players," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "I thought our guys stuck to the plan and buckled down and competed hard. Hard-fought game, it could have gone either way, but we found a way to get it done in overtime."

After having a 1-0 lead disappear early in the third period, the Canucks cycled the puck in the right corner early in overtime. Sedin had possession at the bottom of the faceoff circle and attempted to feed twin brother Daniel, who was alone on the doorstep.

However, the puck caromed off defenseman Jeff Finger and past goaltender Jose Theodore, sending Vancouver to its third straight overall win and sixth in as many meetings with Northwest Division rivals.

"(It) was supposed to be a pass, but it bounced off the defenseman's legs," Henrik Sedin said. "So I got lucky there. That's the right way we've got to get the goals there. Throw a lot of pucks at the net, and we have to get bodies there, too."

"He was trying to pass across," Theodore said. "I saw one of the Sedin brothers going back door, and I knew all night they were trying that play. Sometimes when you try that play, it just happens. They got lucky, but it's part of the game."

After having an apparent goal waved off late in the first period, Henrik Sedin opened the scoring at 4:41 of the second, when he batted the puck out of mid-air and into the net. The play was reviewed as Henrik Sedin's stick appeared to be above the crossbar, but after several minutes, the tally stood.

"I thought (the first one) was a borderline call as much as the second one was," Henrik Sedin said. "We could have had none of the two, so I am happy with one."

"I think that everybody thought it was a high stick," Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles said. "It's one of those things. It's over with now."

Colorado coach Joel Quenneville was unhappy with the final decision.

"I think it was explained right, but we absolutely, totally disagree," he said. "It was a mistake, but that was their interpretation. We just disagree."

In the opening period, Henrik Sedin's tally was waved off because the referee lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle.

"When I mentioned that there was no whistle on the video, he told me he was about to blow the whistle," Vigneault said. "The referee is allowed to have that discretion, so I'm not going to say that it was a bad call or whatever. I'm not going to second-guess that."

Colorado knotted the contest just 61 seconds into the third session with a power-play tally.

From above the right circle, Liles fluttered a shot toward the net. Ryan Smyth waved at it but never got a piece as the puck sailed past Luongo to forge a 1-1 tie.

Entering with a personal three-game winning streak, Theodore stopped 26 shots for the Avalanche, who had won six of their previous seven and two straight on the road after beginning the season with four consecutive losses away from home.

"I think you've got to look at the positives," Theodore said. "We got a big point on the road. We were down, 1-0, coming into the third. We didn't panic and we scored a big goal. It could have went either way."

"I think that anytime you can get a point on the road, especially when you're down in the third, it's got to be a small victory," Liles added. "Obviously, we would have liked to have two points, but they're a tough team and it's just how it is sometimes."