NHL Game Summary - Calgary at Vancouver
Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Tanev celebrated his 25th birthday with the game-winning goal just 18 seconds into overtime, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday at Rogers Arena.
The Flames, who battled back from a 2-0 deficit that included an own goal, had the first shot of the extra period. It went wide and the Canucks raced the other way.
Henrik Sedin carried the puck into the Calgary zone along the left wing and sent a pass back to a trailing Tanev, who snapped a shot from the slot past Jonas Hiller for his second goal of the season.
Radim Vrbata scored and Yannick Weber was credited with a goal for Vancouver when the Flames shot the puck into their own empty net on a delayed penalty. Ryan Miller made 26 saves for the Canucks, who snapped a five-game skid.
Vancouver forward Jannik Hansen collapsed on the bench during the second period, but was apparently better in the locker room. He did not return for precautionary reasons.
"I don't think there's going to be a problem," said Canucks coach Willie Desjardins after the game. "Everything looks good."
Shortly after taking a hit from Calgary's Dennis Wideman, Hansen skated to the Vancouver bench and remained hunched over. He appeared to go limp as his teammates helped and quickly banged their sticks on the boards for the officials to stop play. Medical personnel rushed to Hansen's aid and helped him into the locker room.
"He seemed like he couldn't get his breath there," Desjardins added. "He kind of went down. When that happens it's not usual, so you're concerned. But everything's checked out at the hospital and everything is fine."
David Jones and Johnny Gaudreau scored for Calgary, which finally picked up a point after losing seven straight in regulation. The Flames so desperately wanted at least one point, they held the puck in their own zone for the final 10 seconds of regulation rather than attack the Vancouver end.
Hiller finished with 30 saves in defeat, but wasn't even on the ice for the first Vancouver goal.
Moments after the referee's arm went up for a Canucks penalty, Hiller left the net for an extra skater and Calgary controlled the puck behind the Vancouver cage. Wideman sent a pass back toward the right point, but the puck caromed off the boards past a teammate and slid all the way into the vacated cage.
"I don't know what to tell you, it was a basic pass back to the point that kind of handcuffed him, took a funny bounce off the wall and ran all the way down the ice and into the net," said Wideman.
Weber was credited with the fluky goal, but the Canucks scored a legitimate goal just under five minutes later on a power play. Alexandre Burrows was whacking away at the puck at the right side of the crease and it popped loose in front, allowing Vrbata to sweep it home for his 13th goal.
Calgary pulled within one with 7:31 left in the second period. Miller failed to control a couple of rebounds as the Flames buzzed around the offensive zone. A Kris Russell shot from the left circle went in and out of Miller's glove and Jones was there to knock in the rebound for his sixth goal.
The Flames had a goal waved off late in the second when it was ruled that Joe Colborne's shot from in close went in after the net was dislodged, but tied it just over seven minutes into the third when Gaudreau snapped a shot from the inside edge of the right circle through Miller's pads for his seventh goal.
Calgary nearly took the lead a few minutes later while short-handed when Lance Bouma raced in on a breakaway, but was denied by Miller.
"Goals are tough to come by," said Flames coach Bob Hartley. "It would have been easy to fold the tent, but credit to our guys, they battled back. I thought we played a pretty solid game."