Canucks 7 Flames 3
VANCOUVER — Daniel Sedin scored three goals, while his brother Henrik collected four assists to take over the NHL scoring lead, as the Vancouver Canucks ended their regular season with a 7-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Daniel electrified the crowd with his third goal. He took a pass from Henrik, then put the puck behind him by threading it through his legs, before firing a shot that beat Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.
Henrik Sedin now has 112 points from 29 goals and 83 assists. That leaves him three ahead of Washington’s Alex Ovechkin who has 109 points from 50 goals and 59 assists. The Capitals play their final game Sunday.
The sold-out crowd of 18,810 chanted “MVP, MVP” as Henrik broke the Canuck franchise record of 110 points in a season set by Pavel Bure in 1992-93.
Daniel Sedin, who also had an assist, has 85 points from 29 goals and 56 assists. That gives him a career high in points, despite missing 18 games with a broken foot.
The playoff-bound Canucks, who had lost the previous two games, scored three goals on their first four shots of the opening period.
Niklas Hagman, with a pair, and Rene Bourque, scored for the Flames, who are heading to the golf course after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
The Canucks also got goals from a couple of unexpected players. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who had not scored since the opening game of the season against Calgary, had two goals. Hardnosed Rick Rypien picked up his fourth of the season while Ryan Kesler scored his 25th.
The Canucks looked to have the game well in hand until Hagman beat goaltender Roberto Luongo with his 24th and 25 goals of the year.
Kesler helped extinguish Calgary’s spark just after the Flames killed a penalty in the second period. Left alone at the side of the net, he banged home a pass from Mason Raymond.
Daniel Sedin took over in the third, scoring goals 20 seconds apart. That brought hats sailing out of the stands.
Calgary finishes the season with a 40-32-10 record for 90 points. Questions are already swirling about changes in the front office and possibly in the dressing room.
Vancouver has wrapped up the Northwest Division title for the third time in four seasons. The Canucks’ record of 49-28-5 leaves them with 103 points and the third seed in Western Conference.
The Canucks won’t know until today whether they face Detroit, Los Angeles or Nashville in the first round of the playoffs.
It was a roller-coaster season for the Canucks, who endured a six-week, 14-game road trip wrapped around February’s Olympics.
Despite recording a 100-plus season for the fifth time in franchise history, the team has struggled down the stretch, losing five of their last 10 games.