Canucks down Bruins 6-2 in Boston's first trip to Vancouver since 2011 Cup final | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Canucks down Bruins 6-2 in Boston's first trip to Vancouver since 2011 Cup final

VANCOUVER - Henrik Sedin had a goal and an assist and Roberto Luongo made 39 saves Saturday as the Vancouver Canucks routed the Boston Bruins 6-2 for their seventh straight victory.

Jannik Hansen, David Booth, Chris Higgins, Yannik Weber and Christopher Tanev also scored for Vancouver (20-10-5), which finished its five-game homestand with a perfect record and is 8-1-1 in its last 10. Daniel Sedin, Mike Santorelli and Brad Richardson added two assists each.

The game marked the Bruins' first visit to Rogers Arena since their victory over the Canucks in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final.

Reilly Smith had both goals for Boston (22-9-2), which saw its four-game winning streak snapped.

A shaky Tuukka Rask allowed four goals on 23 shots for the Bruins, who have been hit hard by injuries and had a flu bug go through their locker-room this week. Chad Johnson replaced Rask after the Canucks' fourth goal, making four stops in relief.

The turning point came at 4:11 of the second period when Vancouver head coach John Tortorella called a timeout after Smith tied the score 1-1.

The Bruins were all over the Canucks before the goal and Tortorella lit into his team with a verbal barrage reminiscent of his previous coaching stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

Whatever Tortorella said, his players got the message.

Booth restored the Canucks' lead just 1:20 later with his fourth goal of the season, firing a shot from the left wing that went through Rask to send the usually subdued Rogers Arena crowd into a frenzy.

The Canucks' second line of Higgins, Santorelli and Ryan Kesler has been a force during Vancouver's current winning streak and went back to work to stretch the lead two 3-1 at 8:46.

Santorelli made a strong move to the net, forcing Rask to make two big saves. His third shot went off the post and fell right to Higgins, who fired into a yawning cage for his 10th of the campaign.

Higgins has three goals and five assists in his last seven games and has points in five straight contests.

Luongo, who picked up the 65th shutout of his career in Friday's 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, made a big blocker save early in the third on a deflection by Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron before Weber put the game out of reach and ended Rask's night when he blasted a one timer past for his first of the season at 1:34.

Vancouver's special teams then took over with Henrik Sedin scoring on the power play at 4:02 before Tanev rubbed more salt in the Bruins' wound with a short-handed goal at 10:34 to make it 6-1.

Smith rounded out the scoring with 3:17, banging a rebound past Luongo.

The Canucks, who were coming off back-to-back shutouts, have allowed just eight goals during their seven-game winning streak.

The Bruins got word earlier in the day that tough guy Shawn Thornton had been suspended 15 games for his attack on Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik on Dec. 7.

Both the Canucks and Bruins downplayed Saturday's rematch of the 2011 Cup final, but the energy and emotion in the stands and on the ice was palpable in the first period and carried on throughout the night.

Hansen opened the scoring at 16:37 of the first period with his fifth of the season on a harmless-looking shot from centre that deflected off the stick of Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara and knuckled its way past a surprised Rask.

Boston had a great chance to tie the game moments later with Milan Lucic staring Luongo down in front, but the Canucks goalie made a big save to keep the momentum on Vancouver's side.

Earlier in the period, Bruins forward Jarome Iginla appeared to injure his left his hand in a fight with Kesler. He left for the locker-room after the fight but returned for the start of the second period.

Before Hansen gave Vancouver the lead, Canucks defenceman Yannik Weber beat Rask through the pads off the rush only to see the puck cleared out of the crease by Boston's Kevan Miller.

Notes: The Canucks defeated the Bruins 4-3 in Boston on Jan. 7, 2012, in the only other meeting between the two teams since their final. Cory Schneider started in goal for Vancouver in that one. ... Boston hosts Vancouver on Feb. 4. ... The Canucks open a three-game road trip on Tuesday in Minnesota against the Wild. Vancouver then visits the Dallas Stars on Thursday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. ... Boston is home to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2013
The Canadian Press

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