Third-period effort gets Canucks past Avs
Christian Ehrhoff's second goal got Vancouver even in the third period, and Henrik Sedin then netted the go-ahead tally as the Canucks rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche, 5-2, on Friday night.
Steve Bernier added another goal -- on a pretty slap pass from Ehrhoff -- just as the first penalty in a brief 5-on-3 advantage ended with 8:21 left. Mikael Samuelsson scored on a skipping shot from the point less than 2 minutes later.
Roberto Luongo made 22 saves as the Canucks opened a five-game homestand the way they ended a five-game road trip six days earlier in Colorado, where they beat the Avalanche 8-2.
David Jones and rookie Matt Duchene scored power-play goals for Colorado in the game's first nine minutes. Ehrhoff cut Vancouver's deficit to 2-1 with a man-advantage goal early in the second period.
Ehrhoff, who also hit the post on his hat trick attempt with 4:30 left, made it 2-2 with his second goal 5:12 into the third period.
The Canucks almost went ahead on the next shift, with Alex Burrows hitting the post and Ryan Kesler chipping the rebound onto the goal line before the puck was cleared. Burrows then set up the go-ahead goal with a spin move at the side of the net that left goalie Craig Anderson down. Sedin scored into an empty net.
Anderson, pulled after giving up four goals in last Saturday's loss to Vancouver, made 23 saves as the Avalanche fell to 1-4-1 in their last six games.
Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles returned after missing five games with a shoulder injury to help set up the two power-play goals.
Vancouver playing its first game since the romp in Denver. Colorado split games in Calgary and Edmonton before wrapping up its stretch of three games in four nights.
The Avalanche grabbed the lead thanks to their 20th-ranked power play.
Jones opened the scoring 4:06 in with a deflection from the slot, and the Avalanche doubled the lead just over four minutes later. This time, Liles pinched down from the point to knock a rebound past Luongo. Duchene pushed the puck in just before it crossed the goal line.
The two power-play goals matched Colorado's total over the previous six games and 22 chances. It was also just the second time the Avalanche converted a man advantage on the road since Oct. 13, ending a 1-for-32 funk over 10 games. Just like in a 6-4 loss in Edmonton on Wednesday, Colorado couldn't hold onto a two-goal lead.
NOTES: Colorado beat the Canucks 3-0 in the first weekend of the season, but Vancouver has won the next three meetings by a combined score of 16-5. ... The Avalanche also got LW T.J. Galiardi back after he missing nine games because of a high ankle sprain. Veteran D Adam Foote missed a second game due to a jaw injury. Vancouver LW Daniel Sedin, the team's leading goal scorer the last three seasons, is expected to return Sunday against Chicago. He has been out for 18 games due to a broken foot.
