Vancouver Canucks' Mason Raymond leads the way in win over the Carolina Hurricanes
Vancouver Canucks forwards Mason Raymond and Mikael Samuelsson each scored three points en route to collecting a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday 17 October.
How it went down
The Canucks took the game in hand early in the first period scoring in just under six minutes through Andrew Alberts. Less than five minutes later and the Canucks were ahead 2-0 when Raymond scored the
first of his two goals on the night while the Canucks had a man advantage. Raymond fired the puck into the roof of the net after Jeff Tambellini had thrown the puck in front.
The Canucks went ahead 3-0 midway through the second period when Samuelsson scored his first of the season. Samuelsson was alone at the far post when Tanner Glass found him with a tremendous cross-ice
pass.
The Hurricanes got a lifeline late in the second period when Patrick O'Sullivan scored his first of the season.
Any hopes of a Hurricanes comeback were dashed at 6:25 of the third when Raymond scored his second of the game. Ryan Kesler added a fifth goal for the Canucks eight minutes later. Canucks backup goaltender
Cory Schneider was solid in nets saving 32 of the 33 shots that he faced.
What they're saying
The Canucks, who were early season favorites to compete for the Stanley Cup this year, haven't got off to the kind of start that they were hoping for. But Raymond suggested that this game could spark a
turn around.
"It's tough … we're not off to the start we want I guess, but I thought we played our best 60-minute game tonight," Raymond said. "We've had a lot of good games but haven't had the outcome and I felt like
we've been snake bitten a bit. But that's the past. We played well tonight. We did the things I think that make us successful."
Schneider, in for starter Roberto Luongo who had a rare night off, was happy to see some action and get the win.
"I felt good," Schneider said. "Sometimes, you can be rusty and fight the puck a bit. But I think I was prepared and eager to get out there. It also helps when the guys keep a lot of shots to the outside.
You can get a few saves and get into a rhythm right away.
"I didn't win one last year, so when you get one a year, it's tough to pile them up."
What it all means
After back-to-back losses the Canucks have now got themselves back on the winning track. They next face the Wild in Minnesota on Tuesday19 October.
Since winning their first two games of the year in Helsinki, Finland, the Canes have lost two in a row. They continue their west coast road swing on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks.