VANCOUVER — Ryan Miller and Joacim Eriksson shared an 18-save shutout and Henrik Sedin furnished three assists as the Vancouver Canucks blanked the Calgary Flames 3-0 on Friday night in NHL pre-season action.
Vancouver improved to 3-1 in exhibition play while the Flames dropped to 3-2.
Linden Vey, Jannik Hansen and Radim Vrbata scored for the Canucks with all of the goals coming on the power play. Daniel Sedin provided two assists for the victors.
Vancouver converted 3-of-6 power plays while Calgary had three.
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The Canucks dressed mostly veterans while the Flames mainly iced prospects. Calgary’s inexperience was evident in the shots total as the hosts enjoyed a 33-18 edge.
Miller stopped all seven shots he faced in his first appearance as a Canuck after becoming their top free-agent signing in the summer. The 34-year-old was sharp early as he stopped Sam Bennett on a partial breakaway, but that was the only shot the Flames mustered in the first 10 minutes.
Calgary then came on strong, though, and had the better scoring chances in the scoreless first period. Miller was forced to make timely stops on a John Ramage slapshot and Corban Knight as he cruised through his crease with the puck. The Canucks outshot the Flames 8-7 in the opening 20 minutes but could not beat Calgary No. 1 goaltender Karri Ramo.
Carr, a 25-year-old rookie who spent the past four seasons with the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, replaced Ramo at the start of the second period.
Vey opened the scoring on a power play 7:27 into the middle period as he put in Chris Tanev’s rebound. Hansen gave the Canucks a 2-0 lead with two seconds left in another power play as he wired home a pass from Henrik Sedin while playing the point. The Canucks kept the puck in the Calgary zone for all but a few seconds during the man-advantage situation midway through the second.
Miller was replaced by Eriksson after the goal. He did not face a single shot in the second as the Canucks outshot the Flames 19-6 during the period.
Eriksson, a 24-year-old from Sweden ho played most of last season with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League and appears headed back there, stopped 11 shots.
Vrbata put Vancouver ahead 3-0 with another power-play goal just over two minutes into the third period as he culminated a three-way passing play with the Sedins.
Notes: Vancouver lost centre Brad Richardson to injury after he collided with Brandon Bollig in the second period. … The Canucks placed goaltender Jakob Markstrom on waivers Friday. Markstrom, a 24-year-old Swede was acquired last spring from Florida as part of the Roberto Luongo trade. If Markstrom is not claimed, he is expected to be assigned to Utica of the AHL.
