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Hudler nets shootout winner as Red Wings top Vancouver

Jan 9, 2011 - 7:14 AM Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Jiri Hudler scored the lone goal of the shootout to help the Detroit Red Wings take a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in a battle between the top two teams in the NHL.

Vancouver sits atop the Western Conference and NHL with 60 points with Detroit hot on its heels with 59 points. Philadelphia leads the Eastern Conference and is third in the NHL with 57 points.

After Jeff Tambellini was stopped, Hudler blew a shot past Roberto Luongo. Jimmy Howard then made stops on Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin to preserve the win.

"I think it says a lot about the character on our team, the way we're not giving up," Howard said. "We're clawing our way back in games and hanging in there, waiting for our opportunity."

Johan Franzen scored the lone goal while Howard finished the game with 34 saves for the Red Wings, who have won three straight.

Sedin notched the only goal and Luongo stopped 32 shots as Vancouver had a eight-game winning streak stopped. Still, the Canucks are 13-0-3 since their last regulation loss on December 5 against St. Louis.

"We definitely deserved two points tonight," Kesler said. "We have to stay positive in here and keep playing the way we're playing."

Sedin's goal at the 12:09 mark of the second period on the power play gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead. It was Sedin's 25th goal of the season.

Just 42 seconds into the third, the Red Wings tied the game on a power play that had carried over from the second period. On the rush, Henrik Zetterberg flipped the puck over the sticks of two defensemen to Franzen, who immediately chipped the puck into the net.

Detroit appeared to have the win in regulation as Niklas Kronwall found the back of the net with 24.5 seconds to go, but the goal was waived off as Todd Bertuzzi made contact with Luongo in front of the net prior to the goal.

Game Notes

The Red Wings continue a five-game road trip in Colorado on Monday...Vancouver hits the road for five games starting with contests against the Islanders and Rangers in New York on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively...Detroit has taken two of the three games with Vancouver this season.