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Ryan, Ducks hold off Canucks

Feb 10, 2011 - 8:53 AM Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Bobby Ryan scored twice and Curtis McElhinney turned aside 35 shots, as the Anaheim Ducks held on for a 4-3 victory against the Vancouver Canucks.

Ryan's second goal, which he scored early in the third period, served as the game-winner and allowed the Ducks to post a second consecutive win. Jason Blake and Brandon McMillan also scored for Anaheim, while Teemu Selanne added two assists.

Ryan Getzlaf had an assist in his return to the lineup. The Ducks captain missed the last 14 games because of nasal sinus fractures suffered when he took a puck to the forehead during a December 28 win over Phoenix, and was activated off injured reserve Wednesday.

Daniel Sedin totaled a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who suffered just their fourth home regulation loss of the season. Cory Schneider allowed four goals on 24 shots as Vancouver's six-game win streak came to an end.

"We didn't play good enough to win tonight," said Canucks forward Ryan Kesler. "We turned too many pucks over, we didn't follow the system. The coaches gave us a good system to win this game tonight, and we didn't follow it."

The Ducks carried a 3-1 lead into the third period, but Vancouver drew within one on a goal set up by the Sedin twins. Daniel collected a loose puck along the left boards and banked a pass off the end boards for Henrik, who stood behind the net.

Henrik waited a moment before threading a pass to the slot, getting the puck by McElhinney, Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, and forward Corey Perry. The necessary space opened in a matter of seconds, and allowed Alexandre Burrows to rip a one-timer by McElhinney at 5:42.

"You can go two ways there," Ryan said. "We can obviously cower and play a tight defensive game, or we can go on the attack."

The Ducks opted to go on the offensive, and Ryan got the goal back just 28 seconds later. Selanne picked up the puck at his own blue line and raced up the left side of the ice on a 2-on-1, joined by Ryan. Selanne waited until he was in the left circle before passing across the ice, and Ryan slammed the puck between Schneider's pad and the right post.

"Generally when the team has got a puck on a 2-on-1, I'm just going to go to the net and hope it comes to me," Ryan said. "He made a great play."

Anaheim held a two-goal edge until the final minute, when Kesler scored his 32nd goal of the season. The tally came with 21 seconds to play after the Canucks had removed Schneider from their net, but Vancouver didn't get a quality chance at the equalizer in the remaining time.

The Ducks took advantage of a line change to get their first goal. Selanne fed Blake in the slot as the Canucks' defenseman scrambled to get back in position, and Blake scored as he lost his balance, tallying only 56 seconds into the game.

McMillan and Ryan lit the lamp on transition goals in the first 4:12 of the second period to give Anaheim a 3-0 advantage. Vancouver used its power play to get on the board at 7:22, when Daniel Sedin scored on a slap shot from the left circle.

Game Notes

Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis left the game after his head hit the glass on the endboards during a check. He fell to the ice and eventually skated off with some help...The teams committed a combined three penalties...Anaheim is 13-13-3 on the road this season...Vancouver fell to 2-1-0 on its four- game homestand, which concludes Saturday against Calgary...While Getzlaf came off injured reserve Wednesday, the Ducks placed goaltender Jonas Hiller on IR because of fatigue and light-headedness. The move is retroactive to last Thursday...Anaheim made another roster change Wednesday by acquiring defenseman Francois Beauchemin, a member of the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup championship team, from Toronto. The Ducks sent forward Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Jake Gardiner and a conditional 2013 fourth-round draft pick to the Maple Leafs.