Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

Canucks move closer to top spot in West with win over Sharks

Thu 18th, March 2010

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Ryan Kesler and Alexander Edler each had a goal and an assist, as the Vancouver Canucks held off the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, at GM Place.

Ryan Johnson also scored for the Canucks, who improved to 3-1-0 on a five-game homestand and trail San Jose and Chicago by five points for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Roberto Luongo made 32 saves for the victors.

Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who have dropped four straight and are now tied with the Blackhawks atop the West standings. Chicago beat Los Angeles, 3-0, on Thursday.

Ryan Clowe also lit the lamp. Evgeni Nabokov turned aside 23-of-26 shots in defeat.

Down 3-1 in the third, San Jose got a goal from Pavelski to cut the deficit to one with 3:08 remaining. Kent Huskins' shot from the left point was stopped by the stick of Pavelski, who then collected the puck and fired a wrist shot past Luongo.

The Sharks pulled Nabokov late for the extra attacker, but failed to find an equalizer.

The Canucks scored a pair of power-play goals via slap shots in the first period. Edler and Kesler lit the lamp at the 8:31 and 12:14 marks, respectively.

Clowe scored four minutes into the second to cut the gap to 2-1. Clowe charged down the right-wing side and fought off a defender as he made his way in front for a wrister past Luongo.

Vancouver went back up by two on a backhander from Johnson for his first goal of the season with 3:12 remaining in the middle stanza.

Game Notes

Canucks forward Mikael Samuelsson is expected to miss the next 2-to-3 weeks with an upper-body injury...The season series between San Jose and Vancouver is tied, 1-1...The Canucks improved to 7-2-1 since the Olympic break...Vancouver's homestand comes to an end on Saturday versus the Red Wings...The Sharks fell to 0-3-0 on a six-game road trip.