Sbisa plays top gun as Jet fighter
Defenceman’s overtime goal ends a physically punishing night against Winnipeg
The Vancouver Canucks won a game Tuesday — and it must be said they certainly paid a price for the two points. They have the bruises to prove it.
The Canucks withstood a pounding by the Winnipeg Jets but emerged with a 3-2 overtime win in what was a highly entertaining National Hockey League game at Rogers Arena.
Thankfully, they have a day off today. They’ll need it to recover.
Defenceman Luca Sbisa scored the winner 36 seconds into overtime, converting a perfect pass from Radim Vrbata.
The Canucks are now 2-2-0 on their current six-game homestand.
Bryan Little had given the Jets a 2-1 lead at 2:13 of the third period on a Winnipeg power play. The goal came with Vancouver rookie Ronalds Kenins serving an undisciplined holding penalty.
The play started when Vancouver defenceman Alex Edler’s stick exploded as he attempted to clear the puck. Andrew Ladd grabbed the puck and delivered a pass to Little, who beat Eddie Lack stick side from the slot.
But Kenins made amends at the 12:32 mark when he scored from a sharp angle. It was his second goal in three games with the Canucks.
The Jets grabbed a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the first period when Blake Wheeler chipped the puck past Vancouver defenceman Dan Hamhuis and beat Lack on a breakaway.
But the Canucks tied things up less than three minutes later when Alex Burrows took a pass from Daniel Sedin and beat Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec short side with a onetimer from the bottom of the right faceoff circle.
The Jets had a great chance to regain the lead with four minutes remaining in the first when Wheeler broke free on another breakaway. But this time Lack robbed him.
The second period was scoreless. The Jets had an apparent goal disallowed at the 16:43 mark when defenceman Jacob Trouba was ruled to have interfered with Lack after a spectacular end-to-end rush. Trouba got a shot on Lack and Adam Lowry scored on the rebound. But Trouba knocked Lack’s right pad and after conferring at centre ice the officials waved off the goal.
The Jets came close again in the dying seconds when Michael Frolik put a backhand off the post after a Hamhuis giveaway. The Jets played without forward Evander Kane, who was a late scratch in his hometown. Kane was scratched by head coach Paul Maurice, apparently for disciplinary reasons.
That left the Jets with only 11 forwards. They dressed seven defencemen and Dustin Byfuglien moved up to play right wing.
Vancouver winger Zack Kassian was a healthy scratch for the second straight game.
ICE CHIPS: The Canucks host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. They close out their six-game homestand Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.