Canucks settle for draw with Predators
Canadian Press
3/17/2004
VANCOUVER (CP) - Adam Hall scored with 22 seconds to play in the third period Tuesday night to give the Nashville Predators a 2-2 tie with the Vancouver Canucks in a battle of two clubs seeking to improve their playoff chances.
The goal came off a scramble in front of Vancouver netminder Dan Cloutier, with Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun lifted for a sixth attacker.
Kimmo Timonen hit the post, then banged another shot at the Vancouver net. Hall was in the right position to score off the second rebound.
Andreas Johansson opened the scoring for the Predators while rookie Ryan Kesler and veteran Trevor Linden gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead in the first period.
The Canucks (37-22-10-4) continue to play .500 hockey (1-1-2-0) since Todd Bertuzzi was suspended for the remainder of the season for his attack that hospitalized Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche.
Vancouver remained three points ahead of the Dallas Stars in a bid to clinch at least fourth place in the Western Conference and enjoy home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Predators (33-26-11-3), ended a string of seven consecutive losses to the Canucks and gained an important point in their bid to qualify for post-season play for the first time in franchise history.
However, the Predators are winless in their last six games (0-2-3-1), their longest stretch without a victory this season.
The Canucks took their first regulation-time lead in five games when Kesler and Linden ended personal goal droughts by scoring 38 seconds apart in the first period.
However, the Canucks surrendered the first goal of the game when Johansson's shot from the side boards deflected behind Vancouver netminder Dan Cloutier.
Kesler got his first goal in 18 games and second of the season when Matt Cooke found him alone in front of Vokoun and the Canuck rookie scored on a backhand.
Cooke was also the architect of Linden's first goal in 17 games, feeding him a perfect pass as broke toward the Nashville net for a 2-1 lead.
The Canucks took that lead into the third period as neither club could generate good scoring chances in the middle frame.
However, Markus Naslund almost made it 3-1 midway through the second period when he broke to Vokoun's crease to deflect Martin Rucinsky's centring pass on goal.
The Nashville netminder sprawled to rob Cooke in the third period.
Notes: Centre Artem Chubarov, who missed six games with a groin injury, returned to the Canuck lineup ... still out are Ed Jovanovski (shoulder), Tyler Bouck (concussion) and Henrik Sedin (abdominal strain) ... Vancouver enforcer Wade Brookbank has been assigned to the dressing room stall formerly occupied by the suspended Todd Bertuzzi ... Vancouver defenceman Marek Malik lost three teeth on Saturday when hit by the stick of Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators ... linesman Randy Mitton officiated his 2,100th game.
Cheers,
Aquaman