With their mothers traveling on the road trip -- Matt Bartkowski’s mom, Beth, has become a cult hero in Vancouver after another priceless media interview -- the Canucks took back-to-back wins, moving them right back into the thick of the playoff fight in the Western Conference.
After beating the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, the Canucks held on for the 2-1 victory in Arizona on Wednesday, despite being without Brandon Sutter (broken jaw), Alex Edler (broken fibula) and Derek Dorsett, who was scratched from the lineup due to illness, as per Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.
It was only a few days ago, following a home loss to the Calgary Flames, that it felt like the Canucks’ playoff hopes were essentially dashed. They fielded their healthiest lineup in months and couldn’t score and couldn’t win.
Two quick wins later, they’re two points out of a Wild Card spot in the West, despite getting outshot in Arizona.
Domi:"We did some good things tonight but at the end of the day this time of the year, just doing some good things isn't really good enough"
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) February 11, 2016
Up by a goal in the third period, defenseman Alex Biega played the hero, pulling the puck out of the crease after it got by Ryan Miller on a backhand shot from Kyle Chipchura, maintaining Vancouver’s lead.