Sedins sign off for Canucks
EDMONTON 3 (SO) VANCOUVER 2
EDMONTON — Leon Draisiatl scored in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Edmonton Oilers emerged with a 3-2 victory over the Canucks on Saturday in the final game of the impressive careers of Vancouver forward Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers (36-40-6), who won their final two games in a disappointing season that saw them miss the playoffs despite being early season favourites.
Jussi Jokinen and Tyler Motte replied for the Canucks (31-40-11), who won five of their final seven games to close out a playoff-missing campaign of their own. The Sedins were held scoreless in their final game.
Connor McDavid earned his league-leading 107th point of the season six minutes into play by feeding it across to Draisaitl, who beat Canucks goalie Anders Nilsson for his 25th of the season.
Jokinen got a piece of a Brendan Leipsic shot and it caromed past Edmonton starter Cam Talbot as Vancouver tied the game 1-1 with two minutes left in the first.
Motte fished out a puck during a scramble out front and beat Talbot up high to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead.
Edmonton tied the game back up a couple minutes later as McDavid earned another assist by dropping it back to NugentHopkins, who tied a career high with his 24th goal of the season.
There was no scoring in the third period or overtime, although Daniel Sedin did have a goal in the shootout.
It was the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Canadian clubs, with the Canucks winning two of the first three.
There was a lengthy moment of silence before the game to honour the victims of Saskatchewan’s Humboldt Broncos minor hockey team bus tragedy on Friday.
In addition, both teams wore decals to recognize the victims, the proceeds from the 50/50 draw went toward the cause and the home logo on the scoreboard was a hybrid between the Oilers and Broncos.
TORONTO 4 MONTREAL 2
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs know they’ve just completed the best statistical season in franchise history, and Frederik Andersen knows he now holds the team’s all-time record for goalie wins in a campaign. What remains a mystery for the Leafs is their first-round playoff opponent.
Andersen made 31 saves to pick up his 38th victory of the season Saturday as Toronto closed out its schedule by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-2.
The Leafs finished with a clubrecord 105 points — bettering the 103 earned in the pre-lockout 2003-04 campaign before the shootout was introduced to break ties — but have to wait until Boston plays Florida today to see where they open their next playoff chapter.