Canucks are no match for Bruins
VANCOUVER — Tuukka Rask made 17 saves for his third shutout of the season and the 29th of his career as the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Saturday.
Landon Ferraro, with a goal and an assist, Brad Marchand, Torey Krug and Tyler Randell scored for the Bruins (14-8-3), who were playing their third game in four nights following Friday’s 5-4 overtime loss in Calgary.
Rask served as the backup to Tim Thomas when Boston beat Vancouver in the 2011 Stanley Cup final and he picked up his first victory at Rogers Arena after giving up four goals in each of the Bruins’ last two visits.
Jacob Markstrom got the start ahead of Ryan Miller and finished with 18 stops for the Canucks (9-11-8), who have lost five straight and 13 of their last 16.
Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins called Saturday’s game a “must” in the wake of Thursday’s 4-2 defeat to the Dallas Stars, but the Canucks didn’t look ready to compete from the opening faceoff.
Markstrom made 38 saves in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss in Los Angeles, but was beaten on the first shot of the game from Marchand at 2:54 of the opening period.
One of the villains for Vancouver fans during the 2011 final, Marchand took a feed from Patrice Bergeron and ripped his 13th of the season shortside on Markstrom.
Boston doubled its lead at 7:03 when Krug blasted a one-timer from the point that flew in past Markstrom for his third.
Vancouver’s first genuine chance came just under two minutes into the second when defenceman Yannick Weber tested Rask from the slot.
But the Bruins put the game to bed at 8:02 when Ferraro’s weak shot from the right-wing boards off the rush fluttered past Markstrom for his second goal of the season.