VANCOUVER — Yannick Weber scored twice and Eddie Lack made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season Thursday as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-0.
Daniel Sedin, Ronalds Kenins and Dan Hamhuis had the other goals for Vancouver (47-29-5), which clinched a Western Conference playoff spot two nights earlier without even suiting up when the Edmonton Oilers downed the Los Angeles Kings 4-2.
Alexander Edler added three assists, while Henrik Sedin chipped in with two of his own for the Canucks, who missed the post-season in 2013-14 for the first time in six years, but have rebounded under rookie head coach Willie Desjardins.
Depending on what the Calgary Flames do in their finale Saturday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets, the Canucks still might need a victory in their game later that evening at Rogers Arena against the Edmonton Oilers to lock up second place in the Pacific Division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Flames beat the Kings 3-1 on Thursday to secure a post-season berth and guarantee an all-Canadian opening-round matchup against the Canucks.
Lack, who picked up the sixth shutout of his career, has played 22 of 23 games since Ryan Miller went down with an knee injury on Feb. 22, but was rarely tested against lowly Arizona. Miller suited up for the first time since the injury on Thursday, dressing as Lack’s backup.
Fans saluted Lack with chants of “Eddie! Eddie!” after a couple of saves on an Arizona power play midway through the third period— his busiest sequence of the night.
Mike Smith allowed four goals on 24 shots before getting pulled late in the second period for the Coyotes (24-49-8), who will finish their miserable season on Saturday at home against the Anaheim Ducks.
Louis Domingue finished with seven saves in relief for the Coyotes, who are second last in the overall standings and can still finish below the Buffalo Sabres in the race to pick Connor McDavid first overall at June’s NHL draft.
Vancouver opened the scoring with 3:38 left in the first when Henrik Sedin shovelled a pass into the slot to his brother Daniel, who flubbed a shot that knuckled its way past Smith for his 19th of the season.
After Kenins doubled the Canucks’ edge 6:51 into the second with his first in 22 games, Weber blasted his 10th and 11th goals of the season on one-timers from almost exactly the same spot. Weber’s first of the night came on a 5-on-3 power play at 15:42 before firing his second on the subsequent 5-on-4 advantage just 1:28 later.
Hamhuis rounded out the scoring with his first goal of the season on another power play with 3:11 to go in the third.
Notes: Kenins’ goal, his fourth of the season, was also his first point in 12 games. … Vancouver was 3 for 4 with the man advantage and has 11 power-play goals over its last 11 games.
Source:: http://www.canada.com/sports/hockey/vancouver-canucks/Canucks+Lack+blank+Coyotes/10959588/story.html
