CANUCKS 3, KINGS 1: Defenseman Alex Edler and captain Henrik Sedin scored power-play goals as Vancouver staved off elimination by topping host Los Angeles in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
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Kevin Bieksa also tallied, fellow blue-liner Dan Hamhuis notched two assists and Cory Schneider made 43 saves in his first career playoff win for the Canucks, who avoided becoming the first Presidents’ Trophy winners to be swept in the first round.
Daniel Sedin recorded an assist in his return to the lineup after missing 12 games with a concussion.
Vancouver hosts Game 5 on Sunday.
The Kings struck first as Anze Kopitar scored his first goal of the series with seven minutes remaining in the first period. After avoiding a hit by Mason Raymond at the blue line, Kopitar skated down the right side and beat Schneider from the faceoff circle for a 1-0 lead.
Vancouver pulled even during a power play just over four minutes into the second when Edler wristed the puck past Jonathan Quick from the right point. The Canucks entered the game 0 for 14 with the man advantage in the series.
Bieksa put the Canucks ahead 4 1/2 minutes later as Kings center Mike Richards inadvertently deflected Bieksa’s slap shot from the right point past Quick.
With Los Angeles down a skater, captain Dustin Brown – who already has two shorthanded goals in the series – was awarded a penalty shot 5:23 into the third after being tripped up by Bieksa during a breakaway. But Schneider made the save, and Henrik Sedin buried a rebound from the bottom of the left circle 22 seconds later for his second goal in 27 contests and a 3-1 advantage.
Quick stopped 27 shots for the Kings, who remain one win away from their first series victory since 2001.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Vancouver had lost its previous five playoff contests, including Games 6 and 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. … Los Angeles’ Brad Richardson returned to the lineup after missing the first three games of the series following an emergency appendectomy. Richardson registered three shots in 10 minutes, 14 seconds of action. … Byron Bitz was a healthy scratch for the Canucks after serving his two-game suspension for hitting Kyle Clifford from behind. Clifford remains out with an upper-body injury. … The road team is 19-9 thus far in the postseason.
