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Voros scores again as Wild solve Luongo

Dec 3, 2007 - 5:04 AM By Brian Hall PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) -- Minnesota Wild forward Aaron Voros started Sunday's game with a fight. He ended it with the game-winning goal.

Voros scored an unlikely goal at 16:45 of the second period to help Minnesota to a 2-1 victory on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks, extending the Wild's win streak to four games.

Playing versus the team that he scored his first career point against on November 16, Voros went right after Canucks left wing Jeff Cowan on the opening faceoff, with each player drawing fighting majors just three seconds into the contest. The two combined for 36 penalty minutes in the game, but Voros landed the biggest shot when he connected for the game-winner.

The 26-year-old rookie forward came from behind the Canucks' goal, took a pass from right wing Marian Gaborik and held off Vancouver defenseman Lukas Krajicek - who was on his back - while flipping the puck between the pipe and the back of Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo.

"I take pride in being able to stand over the puck," Voros said. "I kind of lost it down in the corner, I was kind of upset. Then Gabby (Gaborik) came, picked it up, and I just tried to get it upstairs with the guy holding my back. I was fortunate for it to go in actually."

In his short time with the club, Voros has provided a spark for Minnesota. He has four goals and two assists in his 10 games, while also providing a physical element with 31 penalty minutes.

"He is exactly the guy we saw at the start at training camp," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "A guy that finishes checks, goes to the net, and really battles to win pucks. Now he is playing with more confidence. And I think he still has ways to go to be at his best." Luongo made 28 saves in the loss that ended his three-game winning streak.

"(Luongo) played as good as I have seen him play," Lemaire said. "We had a lot of great chances, good shots from angles or even in front in the high slot. He was on top."

Luongo entered the game with a team-record shutout streak working and extended it to 210 minutes and 34 seconds, before Minnesota opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first from center Eric Belanger.

The 28-year-old netminder couldn't do it all himself though.

Vancouver struggled to get shots on net, only getting four in the opening period as Minnesota took a 1-0 lead. The Canucks' top line of Markus Naslund, Daniel and Henrik Sedin - who as a trio accounted for 11 points in two previous games against the Wild - were held to just five combined shots in this contest.

Vancouver lost for just the second time in regulation in its past 13 games. The win allowed Minnesota to retake a two-point lead over the Canucks in the Northwest Division standings.

It was another testy game between the two clubs. Vancouver took the first two games from Minnesota earlier this season, and the rivalry has been at its best this season, heightened on November 16 when Vancouver defenseman Mattias Ohlund broke center Mikko Koivu's leg with a slash.

"It's that way all the time against this team," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault of the physical play. "I mean, both teams play hard, both teams compete. We're similar in a lot of ways, and tonight was another one-goal game. You give that team seven power plays to two, and there's a good chance you're not going to win."

After Belanger's first-quarter goal, the Canucks knotted the score at 1-1 early in the second when right wing Mike Brown scored his first career goal, tipping home a shot from Krajicek past Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom at 5:37.

Backstrom made 19 saves for his fourth straight victory.

"These are wins that we can build on," Minnesota left wing Brian Rolston said. "And obviously, our goaltending is tremendous too, when it needs to be. It's nice to get that win, especially against that team."