Canucks draw first blood with 5-3 win
Associated Press
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The blood was still oozing out of five stitches above Kyle Wellwood's left eye and a fat lower lip, and yet the Canucks forward couldn't stop smiling.
Wellwood had two assists, drew five power plays, lost one tooth and chipped another, but his biggest play in Vancouver's 5-3 series-opening victory over the Chicago Blackhawks last night didn't show up on the score sheet.
Wellwood made the pass that started a 4-on-1 rush, and defenseman Sami Salo finished the play by banging in a rebound with 1:13 remaining, putting the Canucks back ahead after blowing a three-goal lead in the third period.
Ryan Johnson scored into an empty net with 15.5 seconds left to secure the Game 1 win in their East Conference semifinal.
"It's definitely not fun to have these marks on your face, but in the playoffs it feels all right," said Wellwood, who was hit near the eye by Andrew Ladd's stick in the first period and in the mouth by Patrick Kane's in the second. "These aren't something you worry about too much."
After rallying with two goals byKane and a tying marker from David Bolland with 5:29 left, the Blackhawks coughed up the puck on a late 4-on-2 rush of their own. Wellwood jumped on it and fed ahead to Mason Raymond, who sent a cross-ice pass to Steve Bernier for a one-timer that was stopped by a sliding Nikolai Khabibulin, leaving Salo alone to hammer in the rebound.
CHICAGO 0 0 3 — 3
VANCOUVER 1 2 2 — 5
First Period—1, Vancouver, Demitra 1 (Sundin, Wellwood), 15:22 (pp). Second Period—2, Vancouver, H.Sedin 2 (D.Sedin, Bernier), 5:13. 3, Vancouver, Kesler 1 (Wellwood, Edler), 15:23. Third Period—4, Chicago, Kane 3 (Havlat, Keith), 1:01. 5, Chicago, Kane 4 (Seabrook, Versteeg), 10:11 (pp). 6, Chicago, Bolland 1 (Keith, Eager), 14:31. 7, Vancouver, Salo 2 (Bernier, Raymond), 18:47. 8, Vancouver, R.Johnson 1 (Burrows), 19:44 (en). Shots on Goal—Chicago 10-8-13—31. Vancouver 8-8-11—27. Goalies—Chicago, Khabibulin. Vancouver, Luongo. A—18,630 (18,630). T—2:29.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
(BEST-OF-7)
ALL TIMES HAWAI'I
YESTERDAY
VANCOUVER 5, CHICAGO 3
VANCOUVER LEADS SERIES, 1-0
TODAY
Anaheim at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Carolina at Boston, 1:30 p.m.
TOMORROW
Pittsburgh at Washington, 7 a.m.
Chicago at Vancouver, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY
Anaheim at Detroit, 8 a.m.
Carolina at Boston, 1:30 p.m.
MONDAY
Pittsburgh at Washington, 1 p.m.
