NO LACK OF INSPIRATION 6 Mar 2015 The Province Ed Willes

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1 NO LACK OF INSPIRATION 6 Mar 2015 The Province Ed Willes Mad Stork stops two breakaways in overtime to give visiting Canucks shot at two points Vancouver Canucks Shawn Matthias, right, gets tripped up by the Coyotes Michael Stone during the first period Thursday in Glendale, Ariz. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS There is a joke in the newspaper business about a harried scribe filing a story on deadline, then watching in horror as the home team fashions a heroic comeback. 3 2 SHOOTOUT The scribe, in a panic, picks up the phone, calls his desk and issues the following instruction: Every where I wrote, They sucked, change it to, They were inspired. So it was for the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. For most of their meeting with the Arizona Coyotes the locals seemed intent on suffering a loss that would haunt them, and the faithful, for the duration of this season. Against a Coyotes team that had lost 10 straight in regulation, that had gutted their team at the trade deadline, that had basically given up on their season, the Canucks pulled a no-show in the first period, surrendered the crucial opening goal to the always-dangerous Tobias Rieder, then spent the rest of the affair chasing the game. It was, of course, a recipe for disaster and for 59-plus minutes it looked like the unthinkable would occur. Then Radim Vrbata found a hole in goalie Mike Smith, the puck trickled over the goal-line and the Canucks, at least netminder Eddie Lack, were suddenly inspired. That s the way, at least, it will read into today s sheets and the Canucks can thank Lack for helping change the narrative of this night. With his team trailing 2-0 in the third period, the Mad Stork did his best Dominik Hasek impersonation, stopping all 15 shots he faced, including at least three of the circus variety. Eventually, Chris Higgins found a way to beat Smith, who d come into the game 67th in the NHL in save percentage, setting the stage for Vrbata s game-tying goal and some redemption for the visitors. OK, they didn t get the final act right, losing in the shootout when Sam Gagner scored the only goal of the skills competition. But that still beat the hell out of the alternative and it did nothing to diminish Lack s brilliance. With his teammates giving the puck away like it was radioactive, the lanky Swede stopped all seven shots in overtime, including breakaways by Shane Doan and that man Rieder. In the end, this was his point and Lack might have made a statement about the goaltending position heading down the stretch. Yes, you can ask questions about a team that struggled so mightily against the dreadful Coyotes, but since No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller went down, the biggest concern facing the Canucks has been the game s most important position.

2 Can Lack provide a similar level of goaltending over the final month? That might be asking too much, but in the here and now he stole his team a point and if the Canucks don t draw any inspiration from his performance, there really is something missing from this club. GAME ESSENTIALS 6 Mar 2015 The Vancouver Sun Brad Ziemer THE SKINNY Radim Vrbata, pictured, tied the game with 54 seconds left in the third period to force overtime, but the Canucks were blanked in the shootout as they dropped a 3-2 decision. Sam Gagner scored the only goal in the shootout as the Coyotes snapped a 10-game losing streak. Chris Higgins scored the other Vancouver goal after B.J. Crombeen had given Arizona a 2-0 lead. Tobias Rieder had the other Coyotes goal. BY THE NUMBERS The Canucks were outshot Dan Hamhuis and Radim Vrbata each had six shots for the Canucks... Rookie Bo Horvat had a gamehigh seven hits for Vancouver... Defenceman Alex Edler logged 24:55 of ice time as he returned after missing eight games with an upper-body injury... The Canucks won 36 of 69 faceoffs. Nick Bonino went 11-7 in the circle... Vancouver is now 2-5 versus the Coyotes in shootouts. POWER OUTAGE The Canuck power play struggles continued. Vancouver went 0-for-4 with the man advantage. The Canucks managed just three shots during a four-minute power play in the first period when Arizona forward Sam Gagner was sent off for a high stick on Canuck defenceman Adam Clendening... Coach Willie Desjardins used the same three players who all scored in Vancouver s recent shootout win over St. Louis. But this time, Nick Bonino, Radim Vrbata and Chris Higgins all failed to beat Arizona goalie Mike Smith, pictured, who fashioned an Alice Cooper drawing on his mask. THANKS, RADIM Winger Radim Vrbata played his first game in Arizona since signing with the Canucks last summer. Vrbata scored 137 goals in his six seasons with the Coyotes and had a 35-goal campaign in The Coyotes honoured him with a video tribute early in the first period and he received a standing ovation from the crowd of 12,589 at Gila River Arena. Vrbata stood at the Vancouver bench and raised his stick as a thank-you to the fans. WHO S NEXT The Canucks chartered to San Jose, in preparation for Saturday s CBC game against the Sharks. The Sharks skated to a 6-2 win over the Canucks on Tuesday at Rogers Arena. Vancouver s next home game is Monday against the Anaheim Ducks.

3 Bad to the bone in debacle 6 Mar 2015 The Vancouver Sun Iain MacIntyre Coyote ugly: Stellar play from Lack allows flat Vancouver to salvage a point against lowly Arizona The Vancouver Canucks are less predictable than their coach. We knew, for instance, even before he said it Thursday that Willie Desjardins would claim that all teams are good and anyone can beat anyone in the National Hockey League. And we knew even before they lost 3-2 in a shootout to a lousy Arizona Coyote team on Thursday that the Canucks were capable of the ignominious achievement. Why? Because they lost 6-3 to the equally bad Buffalo Sabres only one week ago. The difference in these underachievements is that the Canucks lost to Buffalo after an impressive 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins. Thursday s loss came after a 6-2 Canuck defeat against the San Jose Sharks, which makes the debacle in the desert more alarming, if not really surprising. The Canucks would have earned nothing from the game but for some brilliant thirdperiod saves from goalie Eddie Lack, who allowed teammates to climb back from a two-goal deficit before, absurdly, abandoning their netminder in overtime. Lack stopped two breakaways and a pointblank redirect all from Canuck turnovers in the extra five minutes, but was beaten by Sam Gagner on a post-and-in shot in the shootout. I think that s the worst we ve played in a long time, Canuck captain Henrik Sedin said. We didn t come out good enough. After the first period, we took over the game. But it s hard to play in this league from behind, no matter who you re playing. We played right into their hands, the way (the Coyotes) wanted the game to be played. For us, mentally, it was a matter of not respecting their lineup. That was the biggest thing. The Coyotes, diving into the Connor McDavid draft sweepstakes, had lost 10 straight games before Thursday all in regulation. The aggregate score in these games was 40-14, and six of the Coyotes last eight losses were by three or more goals. They just traded three of their top players for draft picks and prospects. Yet, they led the Canucks 2-0 with eight minutes to go and should have been ahead by more, restrained only by Lack. Chris Higgins put a backhand through Phoenix goalie Mike Smith s pads to finish a give-and-go with Jannik Hansen and start the comeback at 12:21, and former Coyote Radim Vrbata s slapshot through a screen trickled through Smith with 53.1 seconds remaining and Lack on the bench for an extra attacker. Gagner s shootout winner Higgins, Vrbata and Nick Bonino missed for the Canucks left Vancouver with consecutive losses for the first time since Jan. 27. In the Pacific Division playoff race, it also left the Canucks only two points ahead of the Calgary Flames, who beat the Bruins 4-3 in a shootout. Good teams don t lose two in a row, Canuck centre Shawn Matthias said. We ve got to rebound quickly and switch it up. We got one point tonight, but we needed two. We ve got to win these games; they are so important. Asked how the Canucks can look so good against the best teams in the NHL, beating all but two of the top 15 teams, then so poor against the worst ones, Matthias shook his head and paused for several seconds.

4 We ve got to be prepared to play every team, he said. Because every team has good players and you can t take anyone lightly in this league. There are no unloseable games for the Canucks. The last-overall Sabres had lost five straight home games before the Canucks made a house call. Oh, and the week before that, the New Jersey Devils had lost five straight before beating the Canucks 4-2. The Canucks opened the game Thursday like they thought they could dazzle the Coyotes with their superior talent, but instead passed and skated the puck into turnovers. After surviving several mistakes and Coyote scoring chances, the Canucks fell behind 1-0 with a minute remaining in the first period when Tobias Rieder stood free at the top of the crease between Vancouver defencemen Ryan Stanton and Adam Clendening and swatted in a puck that eluded Lack as it bounced off the end boards. Phoenix doubled its lead at 2:31 of the third period when Tye McGinn arched a chip shot over a mosh pit to score from a scramble. The goal was later credited to B.J. Crombeen. The Canucks looked done, but Lack wasn t. He stopped David Moss on a breakaway when it was 2-0 and made outstanding point-blank saves against Kyle Chipchura, Moss and Mark Arcobello when it was 2-1. From our point, I didn t really think we came out hard enough in the first period and that s probably what killed us tonight, Lack said. Obviously, we re not happy just getting one point. But if you look at the big picture, it could be a huge point at the end of the season. So could the point the Canucks squandered Familiar faces return to pivotal places for stretch drive 6 Mar 2015 The Vancouver Sun IAIN MacINTYRE GLENDALE, Ariz. Defenceman Alex Edler ended an eight-game absence for himself and a 100-year hibernation for the Swedish cavalry, leading a charge back to the Vancouver Canucks lineup Thursday from the injured list. Edler, the Canucks No. 1 defenceman, and top-six winger Alex Burrows returned to the National Hockey League lineup for Vancouver s game against the Arizona Coyotes. They should be followed in the next two weeks by defencemen Chris Tanev and Kevin Bieksa, and centre Brad Richardson as the Canucks worst injury crisis since 2008 abates. At one point, there were eight Canucks, including four of their six defencemen, on the injured list. Centre Nick Bonino returned to the lineup last week and defenceman Frankie Corrado on Tuesday, although the latter was scratched Thursday to make room for Edler. I thought it gave some guys the chance to step up, Canuck coach Willie Desjardins said Thursday morning. I think if you look at a guy like (defenceman Yannick) Weber, he wasn t going to get much of a chance. And all of a sudden he stepped up. Now it s like, hey, we may have another guy we can slot in who can give us a real good effort. I think it s the same for ( Adam) Clendening... ( Ryan) Stanton. A lot of guys played well in that absence, and I think it made them better. I think it should help us in the long run.

5 Edler suffered an upper-body injury when checked into the boards Feb. 14 in Calgary. Burrows missed six games with what was believed to be a groin injury sustained two weeks ago in New York. TRIPLET KASS: Up-anddown winger Zack Kassian played after missing one game with the flu and, interestingly, started on the first line despite the return of Burrows, the most common partner for Henrik and Daniel Sedin. It s one of those things where we want to find balance and be a four-line team, Kassian said. It s up to us, no matter what the lines are, to generate scoring chances and win games. And if we re not winning games and not scoring goals, it s the coach s job to change things around and find something that works. Kassian went from the press box to the first line with Burrows injury, and scored four times in his first three games with the Sedins. THE VEY OUT: Rookie Linden Vey was scratched for the first time since Jan. 10 to make room for Burrows, and other tough lineup decisions loom for Desjardins. You hate it, the coach said when asked if it was a good problem to have. You hate sitting guys out. When Richardson gets back, there s another guy that has to come out. That s a real tough decision. Our guys, they want to play and they play hard. Whenever you sit them out, it s really hard on them. At the same time, guys have to play to keep their spots. Although Monday s NHL trade deadline eliminated the 23-player limit on rosters, Desjardins said he doesn t want young guys sitting around not playing. TWO-FACED: Although the Canucks have exceeded most people s expectations this season and beaten all but two of the NHL s top 15 teams, they ve also lost games to five of the league s poorest seven clubs. So facing the Coyotes, who had lost 10 straight games, wasn t a guaranteed win for the Canucks. I d rather look at the positive side, Burrows said. People thought we were going to be out of the playoffs and we beat all the best teams. We ve beat onetwo-three of both conferences, so I look at it that way. The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning are the only top-15 teams the Canucks haven t beaten. Vancouver is 0-2 against each. Early deficit proves costly yet again 6 Mar 2015 The Province BEN KUZMA GLENDALE, Ariz. They dig holes in the desert to bury bodies and the one the Vancouver Canucks keep digging could bury their playoff chances for the second straight year. For the 15th time in the last 19 games, the Canucks coughed up the first goal in another classic letdown game. Stripped of Antoine Vermette, Keith Yandle and Zbynek Michalek at the trade deadline, the toothless Arizona Coyotes had lost a club-record 10 straight games. But on Throwback Night, it was Mike Smith looking more like a 2010 Olympian than a 2015 enigma until a Radim Vrbata shot with 54 seconds left trickled past the goaltender to force overtime. In the extra session, it was goalie Eddie Lack stopping Shane Doan and Tobias Rieder on breakaways before Sam Gagner scored in the shootout for a 3-2 Coyotes victory.

6 I didn t really think we came out hard enough in the first period and that s probably what killed us tonight, said Lack, who made 33 saves through regulation and OT. They just shut you down and counter on you and that was the game I was preparing myself for mentally. If we got the lead it would have been a different game. The returning Alex Burrows and Alex Edler and Vrbata back for his first game here against his former club were stymied most of the night. The power play was pitiful and the Coyotes mucked up the middle of the ice in classic Dave Tippett style. The Canucks had their chances after Lack, Adam Clendening and Ryan Stanton were caught staring at a puck off the end boards that Rieder jammed home. Vrbata was thwarted. So was Burrows. Chris Higgins made it 2-1 when the winger took a Jannik Hansen pass and scored on a backhand. It provided some late hope on a night when the Canucks should have generated it from the outset not the third period. What this means A lack of power plays on most nights and poor execution has become problem No. 1. There s no personnel crutch to lean on because everybody employed on the two units is back. On a four-minute power play in the first period, the club managed two shots. The penchant to play a perimeter game and thread the perfect pass from the half wall doesn t work. Teams won t challenge Henrik Sedin when he sets up because they know to collapse down low and render point shots ineffective. And even when the Canucks try the drop pass to gain the zone with speed, everything slows down. Puck movement is predictable and slow. The fourforward alignment on the first unit should alleviate the problem, not cause one. Why not try the I formation in the slot and then split two forwards to create confusion? In a word POUND Luca Sbisa laid a heavy sideboards hit on Tobias Rieder and then got the better of Connor Murphy in a bout. SOUND Eddie Lack Goalie sprawled out to thwart a 2-on-1 short-handed break by getting a toe on Shane Doan s forehand-to-backhand attempt. REBOUND Alex Burrows returned after missing six games and neatly took a puck off his skate and nearly rapped it home. Advanced stats +13 Even-strength Corsi for Canucks centre Nick Bonino, meaning he and his teammates on the ice at the time directed 13 more shots at the Coyotes net at even strength. 6 Season-high shots on net for Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who attempted 10 shots, and had a plus-18 even-strength Corsi rating. 59

7 Percentage of faceoffs won by Bonino (10-for-17), who continues to improve in that area of his game. The Canucks won 52 per cent of the draws. 2 Number of shootout losses the Canucks have in six sessions (4-2). Bonino, Radim Vrbata and Chris Higgins all failed to beat goalie Mike Smith. What we learned With Alex Burrows and Zack Kassian back, Linden Vey was scratched for the first time in 24 games and the fifth time this season. He has just one assist in his last eight outings and was cut a lot of slack by the coach. He might get in the next one, but he s got to be ready, said Willie Desjardins. It s tough, the coach said. You hate sitting guys out. And when (Brad) Richardson gets back, we ll have another one out. Former Coyote Brandon McMillan was also scratched Thursday and Desjardins wants his guys playing, here or in Utica, N.Y. Canucks looking a lot better to ex-coyote 6 Mar 2015 The Province Ben Kuzma TIMELY MOVE: Radim Vrbata s former team is beaten up mentally and physically, and in full rebuilding mode As co-owner of BK Mlada Boleslav in the Czech First Division, Radim Vrbata knows what transpires back home on the trade front pales in comparison to the stripping away of his former NHL club in the desert. You don t do too many trades back there, the Vancouver Canucks winger said Thursday before his first game in Arizona against the Coyotes, his former team. If you do anything, it s more like if you have a guy who s struggling, you send him to another team for the rest of the season and they give you somebody who s struggling for them. Then, they return to their former teams. It s a little bit different, not like the NHL. Not at all. When the Coyotes decided this week that the future isn t now, the dealing of Antoine Vermette, Keith Yandle and Zbynek Michalek meant more draft picks and a longterm rebuilding project. Even though promising defencemen John Moore, 24, Klas Dahlbeck, 23, and forwards Anthony Duclair, 19, and Maxim Letunov, 19 who came their way in trade packages are expected to eventually form a new foundation, the trades told Vrbata something. That playoff run to the 2012 Western Conference final now seems more like a mirage compared to the clear vision he had in opting for a more promising playing option by signing a two-year, $10-million US deal with the Canucks on July 2. The 33-year-old Czech native left money on the table from other suitors, but the promise of initially playing with Henrik and Daniel Sedin in a revamped hockey operations department was too good to pass up. The money is nice. So is winning. Vrbata took a team-high 22 goals into Thursday s game with a club that s getting healthier and contending for a playoff position.

8 The Coyotes are beaten up mentally and physically, and going nowhere fast. It s probably something that nobody envisioned after 2012 and that playoff run, added Vrbata. The lockout didn t help and if it didn t happen you could carry the momentum and build something. Lots of key guys were gone after that run and it seemed like they were losing them every summer. I m sure it must be tough for guys like (Shane Doan) Doaner and (Martin) Hanzal and it seems like pretty much everybody is gone. We ll see what happens with the rebuild. Vrbata and Hanzal were Coyote roommates and the winger laughed when it was suggested nobody in the Canucks room is shedding a tear for the towering centre being done for the season after back surgery last month. Hanzal scored a hat trick in Vancouver on Nov. 14 during a 5-0 triumph and last season in a memorable Jan. 16 game here, he took out three Canucks in one period. Hanzal ended Mike Santorelli s season with a heavy shoulder check that required surgery, he slashed and injured Henrik Sedin and gave David Booth concussion-like symptoms after a sideboards collision. The Canucks would lose 1-0 that night to drop all three road games and continued to spin out of control. Without the 6-foot-6, 226 pound Hanzal pounding the Canucks he was given the moniker Hanzal The Hatchet there s probably some sense of relief in the Vancouver room. I m sure some of the guys are that way, but he plays hard, said Vrbata. I remember when I was here and playing against Vancouver, I didn t like to play against Burr (Alex Burrows) and Juice (Kevin Bieksa), but if we had him (Hanzal) on this team, I think a lot of guys would love him for the way he plays. And it s not easy, the way he has to play against top centres and top lines especially in the Western Conference where you have guys like (Ryan) Getzlaf. You appreciate the way he plays. And the Canucks clearly appreciate Vrbata. He was always a scoring thorn in their side with a quick and accurate release, something that Burrows saw long ago. Burrows and Vrbata played for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the QMJHL season when Vrbata put up 56 goals and 120 points in 55 games to place sixth in league scoring. Burrows had 16 goals and 30 points for the junior powerhouse. In junior we knew he was a great goal-scorer, and you don t lose that if you re put it in the right place, said Burrows. He scored so many goals against us. He s been the perfect addition. Coyotes end 10-game losing streak with win over Canucks Jose M. Romero GLENDALE, Ariz. The Associated Press Published Friday, Mar Sam Gagner scored the lone goal in the shootout, helping the Arizona Coyotes snap a 10-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

9 Mike Smith kept the Canucks off the scoreboard in the shootout after the Coyotes allowed two third-period goals to relinquish a 2-0 lead. Smith finished with 32 saves for Arizona, which hadn t won since Feb. 9 at Chicago and hadn t earned a victory at home since Jan. 8 against Winnipeg. Tobias Rieder and B.J. Crombeen scored in regulation for the Coyotes, who have four straight wins at home over the Canucks, dating to last season. Vancouver s Eddie Lack stopped six shots in overtime, but couldn t get to Gagner s hard forehand in the shootout. Lack had 33 saves, and Chris Higgins and Radim Vrbata had goals for the Canucks. Vrbata s score came with 53 seconds left in regulation, forcing the overtime period. The former Coyotes right wing was cheered during a video tribute in the first period after spending the past five seasons with Arizona. But he stung his former team with the tying goal when his shot went through traffic in front of Smith, who slowed the puck before it found its way into the net. Coyotes captain Shane Doan had a breakaway chance, but his shot was stopped by Lack 28 seconds into overtime. Lack also saved a breakaway from Rieder 30 seconds later. Crombeen gave the Coyotes a two-goal lead at 2:31 of the third period. Higgins put in a backhand after collecting a pass from Jannik Hansen at 12:21 of the third to cut Vancouver s deficit to 2-1. Rieder opened the scoring at 19 minutes of the first period, stuffing in a high shot from Gagner that bounced off the end boards and landed in front of the net. It was Rieder s 10th goal of the season. The Coyotes penalty-kill unit stymied the Canucks for six minutes in the first period, and Arizona could have taken the lead sooner had Doan put in a short-handed backhand opportunity during one Vancouver s power plays. The Canucks got more active on offence in the second period, but faltered on several good scoring chances. Alexandre Burrows missed a rebound attempt at 6:14 of the period, and the Canucks had Smith out of the net at 9:53 but had two shots blocked. Smith saved a clear shot from Nick Bonino minutes later. NOTES: The Coyotes sported their original black Kachina-pattern sweaters they wore from as part of a Throwback Night promotion. It was the first time the Coyotes have worn a throwback jersey in an NHL game.... Fans also received Jeremy Roenick bobbleheads, and the Coyotes original dropped the ceremonial first puck with former teammates Nikolai Khabibulin, Greg Adams, Craig Janney, Keith Carney and Sean Burke. It s one of those cool things, Roenick said of the old multicolored coyote logo. It s probably so ugly that it s beautiful. It grew on me.... This was the third of five meetings between the teams this season, with the previous two being lopsided wins for each side in Canada.... Doan is tied for 39th on the NHL s career list for games played, and is second among active players in career games. Canucks go down in the desert By Eric MacKenzie Thursday, March 5, 2015 If the Vancouver Canucks come up short of the playoffs, they will be able to point to plenty of missed opportunities against some of the NHL s bottom feeders.

10 The Canucks were lucky to earn a point Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes, falling 3-2 in a shootout after needing a late push to send the game past regulation. Vancouver was a week removed from a disastrous loss to the league-worst Buffalo Sabres, and dropped this one to a Coyotes team that had lost its previous 10 outings in regulation. The Canucks fumbled away six minutes of first-period power-play time and gave up a goal to Tobias Rieder late in the frame to trail 1-0. Tye McGinn put the Coyotes ahead 2-0 early in the third. Chris Higgins finally gave the Canucks some life when he scored with less than eight minutes left in the third, while Radim Vrbata tied it with 54 seconds remaining after his shot found a way through Arizona goalie Mike Smith. There would have been no overtime or shootout if not for Canucks goalie Eddie Lack, who made tremendous stops in the third period and overtime to keep his team in the game, including breakaways for Rieder and Shane Doan in the extra frame. Lack finished with 33 saves, seven coming in overtime. Arizona s Sam Gagner had the only goal of the shootout; Nick Bonino, Vrbata and Higgins all missed on their attempts for Vancouver. The Canucks lead over the Calgary Flames for second in the Pacific Division has now dwindled to two points. NOTES: -Defenceman Alex Edler played after missing the past eight games, winger Alex Burrows was back after sitting out the previous six and fellow forward Zack Kassian was re-inserted into the lineup after missing Tuesday s loss to San Jose ill. Brandon McMillan, Linden Vey and Frank Corrado came out to make room for the returnees. -The Coyotes donned throwback jerseys on Thursday, sporting their original design from the 1990s. -Henrik Sedin s league-best eight-game point streak was snapped. -The Canucks conclude their two-game road swing Saturday against the Sharks. Coyotes end 10-game skid, beat Canucks 3-2 in shootout By Jose M. Romero The Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. The smile and look of relief on the face of Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan spoke volumes. Doan could live with missing a number of scoring chances of his own, because the Coyotes put an end to their longest losing streak 10 games since moving to the desert from Winnipeg in 1996 with a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Sam Gagner scored the lone goal in the shootout and Mike Smith kept the Canucks off the scoreboard in the shootout after the Coyotes allowed two third-period goals to relinquish a 2-0 lead. Smith finished with 32 saves for Arizona, which hadn t won since Feb. 9 at Chicago and hadn t earned a victory at home since Jan. 8 against Winnipeg. It s big to finally win a game at home win a game, period, said Doan, the only player who has been with the franchise since the move. The Coyotes revamped their roster with a flurry of trades during the losing streak. With little for fans to cheer about this season, the team donned throwback jerseys and welcomed back a few former stars Thursday night, and the nostalgia wasn t lost on anyone.

11 It adds some distraction to not winning many games, coach Dave Tippett said. The players were excited about it and it was great to see the fans excited about it and to see the old players come back. I thought our guys wore those sweaters proud and played well in the tradition of the old Coyotes. Tobias Rieder and B.J. Crombeen scored in regulation for the Coyotes, who have four straight wins at home over the Canucks, dating to last season. Vancouver s Eddie Lack stopped six shots in overtime, but couldn t get to Gagner s hard forehand in the shootout. Lack had 33 saves, and Chris Higgins and Radim Vrbata had goals for the Canucks. Vrbata s score came with 53 seconds left in regulation, forcing the overtime period. The former Coyotes right wing was cheered during a video tribute in the first period after spending the past five seasons with Arizona. But he stung his former team with the tying goal when his shot went through traffic in front of Smith, who slowed the puck before it found its way into the net. Doan had a breakaway chance, but his shot was stopped by Lack 28 seconds into overtime. Lack also saved a breakaway from Rieder 30 seconds later. Vrbata couldn t get his shootout try past Smith, clanging it off the post, and Smith got Higgins to miss to end the game. We had some chances, but Smith played really well for them, Vrbata said. Crombeen gave the Coyotes a two-goal lead at 2:31 of the third period. Higgins put in a backhand after collecting a pass from Jannik Hansen at 12:21 of the third to cut Vancouver s deficit to 2-1. Rieder opened the scoring at 19 minutes of the first period, stuffing in a high shot from Gagner that bounced off the end boards and landed in front of the net. It was Rieder s 10th goal of the season. The Coyotes penalty-kill unit stymied the Canucks for six minutes in the first period, and Arizona could have taken the lead sooner had Doan put in a short-handed backhand opportunity during one Vancouver s power plays. NOTES: The Coyotes sported their original black Kachina-pattern sweaters they wore from It was the first time the Coyotes have worn a throwback jersey in an NHL game. Fans also received Jeremy Roenick bobbleheads, and the Coyotes original dropped the ceremonial first puck with former teammates Nikolai Khabibulin, Greg Adams, Craig Janney, Keith Carney and Sean Burke. It s one of those cool things, Roenick said of the old multicolored coyote logo. It s probably so ugly that it s beautiful. It grew on me. This was the third of five meetings between the teams this season, with the previous two being lopsided wins for each side in Canada. Doan is tied for 39th on the NHL s career list for games played, and is second among active players in career games. Vrbata, Lack help Canucks salvage point vs. Coyotes The Canadian Press NHL: Canucks 2, Coyotes 3 (SO) GLENDALE, Ariz. - The smile and look of relief on the face of Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan spoke volumes.

12 Doan could live with missing a number of scoring chances of his own, because the Coyotes put an end to their longest losing streak 10 games since moving to the desert from Winnipeg in 1996 with a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Sam Gagner scored the lone goal in the shootout and Mike Smith kept the Canucks off the scoreboard in the shootout after the Coyotes allowed two third-period goals to relinquish a 2-0 lead. Smith finished with 32 saves for Arizona, which hadn't won since Feb. 9 at Chicago and hadn't earned a victory at home since Jan. 8 against Winnipeg. "It's big to finally win a game at home win a game, period," said Doan, the only player who has been with the franchise since the move. The Coyotes revamped their roster with a flurry of trades during the losing streak. With little for fans to cheer about this season, the team donned throwback jerseys and welcomed back a few former stars Thursday night, and the nostalgia wasn't lost on anyone. "It adds some distraction to not winning many games," coach Dave Tippett said. "The players were excited about it and it was great to see the fans excited about it and to see the old players come back. I thought our guys wore those sweaters proud and played well in the tradition of the old Coyotes." Tobias Rieder and B.J. Crombeen scored in regulation for the Coyotes, who have four straight wins at home over the Canucks, dating to last season. Vancouver's Eddie Lack stopped six shots in overtime, but couldn't get to Gagner's hard forehand in the shootout. Lack had 33 saves, and Chris Higgins and Radim Vrbata had goals for the Canucks. Vrbata's goal came with 53 seconds left in regulation, forcing the overtime period. The former Coyotes right wing was cheered during a video tribute in the first period after spending the past five seasons with Arizona. But he stung his former team with the tying goal when his shot went through traffic in front of Smith, who slowed the puck before it found its way into the net. Doan had a breakaway chance, but his shot was stopped by Lack 28 seconds into overtime. Lack also saved a breakaway from Rieder 30 seconds later. Vrbata couldn't get his shootout try past Smith, clanging it off the post, and Smith got Higgins to miss to end the game. "We had some chances, but Smith played really well for them," Vrbata said. Crombeen gave the Coyotes a two-goal lead at 2:31 of the third period. Higgins put in a backhand after collecting a pass from Jannik Hansen at 12:21 of the third to cut Vancouver's deficit to 2-1. Rieder opened the scoring at 19 minutes of the first period, stuffing in a high shot from Gagner that bounced off the end boards and landed in front of the net. It was Rieder's 10th goal of the season. The Coyotes' penalty-kill unit stymied the Canucks for six minutes in the first period, and Arizona could have taken the lead sooner had Doan put in a short-handed backhand opportunity during one Vancouver's power plays. NOTES: The Coyotes sported their original black Kachina-pattern sweaters they wore from It was the first time the Coyotes have worn a throwback jersey in an NHL game.... Fans also received Jeremy Roenick bobbleheads, and the Coyotes original dropped the ceremonial first puck with former teammates Nikolai Khabibulin, Greg Adams, Craig Janney, Keith Carney and Sean Burke. "It's one of those cool things," Roenick said of the old multicolored coyote logo. "It's probably so ugly that it's beautiful. It grew on me."... This was the third of five meetings between the teams this season, with the previous two being lopsided

13 wins for each side in Canada.... Doan is tied for 39th on the NHL's career list for games played, and is second among active players in career games. Lack sensational but Canucks lose to lowly Coyotes in the shootout Cam Tucker Mar 6, 2015 The Vancouver Canucks looked doomed from the start. On the road, up against the Arizona Coyotes, who have only lost 10 in a row. And the Canucks fell right into the trap. Despite a late third-period comeback and some sensational saves from goalie Eddie Lack which only came after his teammates, including Daniel Sedin, were guilty of some atrocious turnovers the Canucks fell by a final score of 3-2 in the shootout. Maybe it was Arizona s jerseys. The Coyotes were wearing their original throwback uniforms. Just like old times. Sam Gagner scored the lone goal in the skills competition. Other than that, Lack was solid later in the game. He was forced to rob Shane Doan on a breakaway early in overtime after a horrendous pass from Sedin, and made another glove save in OT. Giving his team a chance, at least. The win snaps Arizona s losing streak at 10 games. This skid has gotten the Coyotes right into the thick of the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. Odd, because the Canucks, fighting for a playoff spot, have now lost to the Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres, another team in the running to land the top pick in the 2015 draft, in the span of seven days. In this case, the Canucks still get the single point. They maintain the second spot in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Calgary Flames, who, thanks to a beauty and unlikely shootout goal from David Schlemko, topped the Boston Bruins earlier in the evening.