Sharp, Nichushkin lift Stars past Canucks
Kevin Woodley - NHL.com Correspondent
| G: 1 | Shots: 1 |
| A: 1 | Hits: 2 |
| PTS: 2 | PIM: 0 |
| +/-: 1 | TOI: 17:05 |
| G: 1 | Shots: 3 |
| A: 0 | Hits: 0 |
| PTS: 1 | PIM: 0 |
| +/-: 1 | TOI: 16:50 |
VANCOUVER -- Patrick Sharp scored the game-winning goal with 5:59 left in the Dallas Stars' 4-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
Sharp received a nice stretch pass from defenseman Alex Goligoski in the neutral zone, cut between the defense and beat goalie Ryan Miller between the legs from above the hash marks.
Valeri Nichushkin, who took Sharp's spot on the top line, scored a goal and set up Tyler Seguin's goal with a nice between-the-legs pass.
Dallas (20-5-1) completed the three-game season sweep with its 10th consecutive win against Vancouver.
Jason Spezza scored into an empty net with 1:27 left, and Kari Lehtonen made 14 saves in his first game back after missing three with a neck injury.
The Stars bounced back despite blowing a third-period lead for the second straight game and avoided losing two in a row for the first time this season; they lost to the Calgary Flames 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.
Jannik Hansen tied it 2-2 at 5:31 of the third period after a bad pass by Goligoski coming out of his own end.
Henrik Sedin, who, like Goligoski, had two assists, intercepted the pass at the blue line and passed to Hansen in front for a spinning backhand over Lehtonen's blocker.
Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler opened the scoring 56 seconds into the game, and Miller made 30 saves for the Canucks (9-10-8), who have three wins in the past 15 games (3-8-4).
Nichushkin tied the game at 11:09 of the first on a great individual effort, picking up the puck at center ice and outracing defenseman Dan Hamhuis down the left side before cutting back and around a sprawling poke check from Miller.
The Russian forward set up Seguin's go-ahead goal 33 seconds into the second period with another beautiful play after collecting a loose puck at the side of the Canucks goal. Nichushkin started behind the net and pulled Miller off the post before dropping a backhand pass between his legs to Seguin, who lifted in his 14th goal before Miller could get back to the post.
Edler opened the scoring after a dominant opening shift by Vancouver's top line that required a nice left-toe save by Lehtonen against Henrik Sedin from the slot. The puck eventually was worked up to Edler at the point, and he beat the screened Stars goalie high on the glove side.
Miller stopped Sharp on breakaway shortly after Seguin's goal, and then robbed Seguin and Cody Eakin all alone in the slot with his blocker in the final five minutes of the second period.
The Stars outshot the Canucks 18-6 in the second period.
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