St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Alex Burrows recorded a goal and assist to
lead Vancouver past Minnesota, 5-2, at Xcel Energy Center.
Darcy Hordichuk, Henrik Sedin, Mason Raymond and Matt Pettinger also scored
for the Canucks, who have reeled off four wins in their last five games.
Andrew Raycroft got the win with a 28-save performance.
"It's good to start a road trip, you look at the lineup we have some big names
out, but it seems like we're pulling together," noted Hordichuk. "We're
getting great goaltending, guys are stepping up so it's no surprise we're
having the success we're having."
Kyle Brodziak tallied twice for the Wild, whose two-game win streak was
halted.
Starter Niklas Backstrom allowed four goals on just 17 shots through two
periods for the loss. Josh Harding stopped all four shots he faced in the
third period.
Hordichuk's first of the season less than four minutes in staked the Canucks
to the early lead, and Raymond's power-play score at 2:20 of the second
doubled the advantage.
"That first period was unbelievable, how bad we played. We just weren't
skating and looked like we weren't ready to battle," said Brodziak. "You can
tell the difference by midway through the second period, but it's putting
together a full 60 minutes that is crucial."
Brodziak put the Wild on the board at 4:28, but Sedin's short-handed
score at 12:14 opened up a 3-1 edge for the visitors.
Brodziak tallied 33 seconds later to bring the Wild back within one but
Pettinger's shot from a severe angle along the goal line caught Backstrom off
guard for a 4-2 game a little more than two minutes later.
Despite being outshot 15-5 over the final 20 minutes, Raycroft made the lead
hold up until Burrows put the clincher into an empty net with 1:41 to play.