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Sedins propel Canucks past Wild in overtime

Feb 20, 2008 - 5:25 AM By Mike Weimerskirch PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) -- The Sedins are keeping the Vancouver Canucks in the race for the Northwest Division crown.

Daniel Sedin scored the game-winning goal in overtime and set up another and Henrik Sedin had two assists as the Canucks edged the rival Minnesota Wild, 3-2, on Tuesday night.

Markus Naslund tallied the game-tying goal and Roberto Luongo made 20 saves for Vancouver, which unleashed 37 shots on goal en route to closing Minnesota's division lead to five points.

"We played pretty good for most of the game," said defenseman Mattias Ohlund, who assisted on the game-winner. "I think we deserved two points. It was a nice win."

It was only fitting for this game not to be settled in regulation because the Wild have gone to overtime in five of their last six contests, while the Canucks have needed more than regulation in five of their last eight games.

"That's the way we play," defenseman Willie Mitchell said. "We're a team that doesn't score a ton of goals, but we play pretty well defensively."

"We played a tight defensive game, we played (the Wild's) style of game," Daniel Sedin added. "We still created a lot of offense."

Daniel Sedin notched his 26th goal of the season with 1:42 remaining in the extra session when he took a dropback pass from his twin brother in the left faceoff circle and fired a wrist shot past goaltender Nicklas Backstrom.

"(Ohlund) dropped it to (Henrik) and he made a beautiful pass," Daniel Sedin said. "Then Ohlund drove the net and kept the goalie in deep."

The Sedins had a lot to do with sending the contest to overtime as well.

Henrik Sedin delivered a pass from behind the net to Daniel Sedin in the left corner. Daniel Sedin quickly made a centering feed to Naslund, who converted for his 22nd tally of the season to tie the game at 2-2 with 5:19 remaining.

The Wild opened the scoring with a minute left in the first period when Marian Gaborik sent a low shot from the right-wing boards through traffic that hit defenseman Sami Salo's skate and deflected just inside the left post.

Matt Cooke's seventh goal of the campaign tied the game at 1-1 with 4:12 left in the second period.

Vancouver was outshooting Minnesota, 24-4, at the time.

"We played one period - the last one," Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire said. "The other two, I don't know. We didn't work to get the puck, to get some shots."

Eric Belanger gave Minnesota a 2-1 edge at 4:41 of the third session when he poked in a rebound. It was the Wild's third power-play goal in the last two games, after going 3-for-41 with the man advantage the previous 12 contests.

Backstrom turned aside 34 shots for the Wild, who are 7-2-2 in their last 11 games.

"(Backstrom) played probably one of his best games," Lemaire said. "He gave us a real good chance to win the game, even though the way we were playing, he didn't have a lot of support."