Canucks 5 Ducks 4 (SO)

Kyle Wellwood (yes, you heard me correctly) had the shootout winner along with a beauty during regulation, and the Sedin/Bernier/Sedin line had 6 points to lead the Canucks to a 5-4 SO win at the Honda Center in Anaheim last night. Wellwood seems to be responding well to the pressure, as he set up the winner the night before in San Jose. He may not have been the dominant player on the ice for the Canucks, but it was still a night that will help him in his efforts to make this Canucks squad. Teemu Selanne notched 2 for the Ducks (not bad for a guy on a tryout...) and Ryan Getzlaf had 3 assists in a losing cause. The big story once again was special teams, the Canucks making the most of their few powerplay opportunities, going 2-4 with goals by Henrik Sedin and a rocket from Sami Salo, who had a 3 point night and apart from a couple giveaways had a solid game. The PK continued to shine, as the Ducks went 2-10, both from Selanne, though one of them was a 5 on 3. A huge issue was the number of hooking calls against the Canucks, seemingly a holdover from last season, and something that no doubt will need to be addressed. Anyone who believes the referees willingly even up calls should save the scoresheet from this game. A shocker in the final minute of OT saw Henrik Sedin drop the gloves with Corey Perry after Perry delivered a cheap suckerpunch as the 2 met along the boards. Both recieved roughing calls, and you can bet this will be addressed when these teams meet again in the pre-season at GM Place. Overall, another good road game, Curtis Sanford was strong, and I liked the way the team responded after the Ducks took a 3-2 lead in the latter half of the 3rd. 4 games, 4 1 goal victories. The naysayers will criticize the teams inability to blow teams out of the water, but I say they won hard fought victories over 3 of the best in the West. Last time I checked, 1 goal victories still get you two points in the standings, so if we get this kind of effort this season, it's gonna be a fun year. Next up for the Canucks is a match against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday at GM Place and the possibility of Todd Bertuzzi in the lineup, likely on a line with Jarome Iginla. They will host the Sharks in a rematch the following night, and close out the preseason with another tilt against the Ducks Sunday evening.