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David Booth was pretty relieved he scored last night

David Booth, Mike Santorelli

Vancouver Canucks’ David Booth, right, celebrates a goal against the Ottawa Senators with teammate Mike Santorelli during second-period NHL hockey game action in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

AP

Monday versus Los Angeles, Canucks forward David Booth had a couple of sparkling chances to score a goal and prove he was better than the healthy scratch he’d been the previous three games under head coach John Tortorella.

Unfortunately for Booth and the Canucks, those chances were wasted and the Kings ended up winning, 3-2, in overtime.

Here’s one of those sparkling, wasted chances:

But at the very least, the Kings’ game marked progress for Booth, the well-compensated but much-maligned winger who’s even spent time in the AHL this season. And Thursday in Ottawa, he was rewarded when his rather innocent-looking wrister off the side boards beat Senators goalie Craig Anderson.

“I was just trying to get the puck on net,” Booth said, per The Province. “Sometimes you just throw it out there, don’t see what happens, and it goes through two screens and it goes in.

“Either way, there is relief. This game is won on goals, not chances.”

Booth added an assist on the Canucks’ fourth goal as Vancouver went on to a 5-2 victory. The 29-year-old, who earlier in the month had lamented the lack of “explosiveness” in his skating, said after the game that he feels “faster and more balanced” now, crediting his recent work with a power-skating coach.

“It was nice to see him score, because he’s had a tough, tough time,” teammate Jannik Hansen added.

And remember, Hansen knows a thing or two about tough, tough times...

TortsHansen