VANCOUVER — Alex Edler scored two goals and added an assist as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Washington Capitals 7-4 Saturday.
Edler’s goals were his first two of the season.
Max Lapierre and Chris Higgins also scored a pair of goals for the Canucks while Henrik Sedin added the winning goal at 6:18 of the third period.
The Canucks, notorious for starting the season slowly, improved to 5-5-1 as they ended a two-game losing skid. It was only Vancouver’s third win at home in six games at Rogers Arena.
The Capitals (7-2-0) suffered their second straight loss after opening the season with seven consecutive wins for the first time in franchise history.
Alex Ovechkin led Washington with two goals while Mike Knuble, on a penalty shot, and Marcus Johansson also scored for the Capitals.
The offence on display was fitting for a game featuring three of the NHL’s past four scoring champions — Ovechkin, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin.
The Canucks outshot the Capitals 43-32 as the clubs combined for 75 shots. Vancouver converted two of five power-play chances while the visitors were good on one of four.
Lapierre opened scoring 3:31 into the game. He checked the puck off Tomas Vokoun behind the net, then banked the puck in off the Washington goaltender’s skate as he tried to get back into his net.
Ovechkin, who was held pointless in Washington’s last visit to Vancouver in 2009, tied the game 1-1 at 8:55 of the first period. Ovechkin jammed the puck into Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo, then the puck flew high in the air and bounced in off Luongo’s back as he searched in vain for it.
Higgins gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead on a power play about 5 1/2 minutes later, as he put in his own rebound after Vokoun robbed him on his initial shot. David Booth, acquired in a trade from Florida last week, drew an assist for his first point as a Canuck.
The goal came while Washington’s Joel Ward was off for high-sticking Ryan Kesler on a blatant cheap shot. Kesler got his revenge by setting up Edler’s goal on a power play with only 3.2 seconds left in the first period. Edler blasted a point shot over Vokoun’s glove after Kesler won a face-off cleanly to Salo and the two defencemen passed the puck back and forth.
The Canucks outshot the Capitals 17-10 in the first, prompting Washington coach Bruce Boudreau to replace Vokoun with Michal Neuvirth at the start of the second period.
For the first time in more than a week, fans gave the much-maligned Luongo an affectionate "Loooo" as he made a save early in the second period. But the crowd groaned moments later as Ovechkin reduced Washington’s deficit to 3-2 on a one-timer off a Nicklas Backstrom pass during a power play.
Knuble scored on a penalty shot at 5:07 of the second after Luongo blocked the shot with his arm but then fell back into the net, knocking the puck in. The penalty shot was awarded after Edler tripped Knuble on a breakaway.
Edler put the Canucks ahead 4-3 at the eight-minute mark of the second period as he cruised into the high slot and blasted in Henrik Sedin’s pass.
Johansson tied the game 4-4 at 17:54 of the second as he elected to shoot during a two-on-one with Ovechkin.
Henrik Sedin gave the Canucks a 5-4 lead just over six minutes into the third as he flipped in a rebound after Neuvirth made two saves but could not freeze the puck.
Higgins’ second goal gave the Canucks a two-goal cushion 44 seconds later as Jannik Hansen sidestepped a sliding Ovechkin and fed him the puck in the slot.
Lapierre capped the scoring with his second of the night midway through the third. Using Higgins as a decoy on a two-on-one, he slid a shot through Neuvirth’s legs.
.The Canucks will start a six-game road trip in Calgary on Tuesday. The Capitals head home to face Anaheim the same night.
Notes: The game featured three former NHL scoring champions in Ovechkin and Vancouver’s Sedin twins. … Capitals defenceman Mike Green (ankle) missed his fifth straight game. He is expected back next weekend. … Injured Canucks defenceman Aaron Rome (hand) and winger Steve Pinizzotto (shoulder) remained out, but are expected to return sometime during the upcoming road trip. … Many fans were dressed in Halloween costumes. … Monday will mark the 20th anniversary of former Canuck Pavel Bure’s signing of his first NHL contract with Vancouver. …
