Sedin doubles up Avalanche

Canucks' talented twin accounts for both goals in win

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Saturday, November 10, 2007

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Like a picture, video footage can be worth a thousand words.

Many of them not printable.

In a game where goals were at a premium, the Avalanche came out on the short end of a video review and on the scoreboard Friday night at General Motors Place.

Henrik Sedin scored a disputed goal in the second period, then added the winner 1:22 into overtime as the Vancouver Canucks ended a four-game home losing streak with a 2-1 victory against Colorado.

Despite playing one of his best games this season, Jose Theodore took the hard-luck loss. Theodore, taking his turn in Colorado's goalie platoon with Peter Budaj, finished with 26 saves and took solace in the fact Colorado was able to salvage a point against a Northwest Division rival.

"It's not really for me to judge myself," Theodore said. "Every points are huge, especially on the road. The guys battled hard and we got a big point."

The duel between Theodore and Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo would have been the top story line on any other night, but it was Sedin's first goal that provided the Gatorade cooler buzz.

Sedin broke a scoreless tie when he batted the puck out of midair and past Theodore 4:41 into the second period. Referee Kelly Sutherland immediately signaled goal, while Theodore protested that Sedin's stick was above the crossbar when he made contact with the puck.

"It looked high because I came from above the crossbar with my stick, but I think I hit the puck when it was at least level with the crossbar," Sedin said. "I don't know. It's tough to say."

Was it ever.

It took several minutes for the video-goal judge to uphold Sutherland's call, much to the dismay of Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville, who climbed atop the Colorado bench and screamed for an explanation.

Replays from at least three angles did not provide enough evidence to overturn the call on the ice, so the goal stood. Had the goal been waved off initially, that probably would have stood, too.

"I think they explained it right but we absolutely, totally disagree," Quenneville said. "It was clearly a mistake, in our minds."

To their credit, the Avs didn't compound the mistake, continuing to fire away at Luongo. The persistence paid off when John-Michael Liles scored on a power play to tie the score 61 seconds into the third period.

Taking advantage of Ryan Smyth creating havoc in front of the net, Liles was able to put a wrist shot past Luongo for his second goal this season.

Neither team could finish the job in regulation, but Sedin gave the Canucks the extra point for the overtime victory when his cross-ice pass attempt deflected off the leg of Colorado defenseman Kurt Sauer and into the net.

"He was trying a pass 3 feet up the ice to his brother (Daniel) backdoor and I was moving across because I was anticipating that pass," Theodore said. "It was just bad luck he hit Kurt on the leg."

Luck, controversy, great goaltending and an abundance of scoring chances - this November game had a little bit of everything, including a playoff feel.

Unfortunately for the Avalanche, it came up short against Vancouver for the second time in six days. The Canucks, who won 4-3 in Denver on Nov. 3, improved to 6-0 against Northwest Division opponents.

"The bottom line is, you have to find a way to gain two points in individual rivalries," Smyth said. "It's a matter of maintaining focus and overcoming difficult battles throughout a game."

Neither team scored during a swift-moving first period, though the Canucks and their fans begged to differ when an early video review went in Colorado's favor.

Sedin was in the middle of that play, too.

Vancouver appeared to take a 1-0 lead with 1:25 remaining when Sedin crashed the net and poked the puck over the line just as Theodore was diving back to cover the puck with his glove.

Referee Dan O'Rourke immediately signaled no goal, saying the play had been whistled dead. After a quick review, O'Rourke's call was upheld.

In the end, Sedin felt justified with the final outcome.

"I could have had both (goals)," he said. "I could have had none."

Summed up nicely, in far less than a thousand words.

First period - None. Penalties - D.Sedin, Van (holding), 9:59; Hejduk, Col, (interference), 13:03; Sauer, Col, (tripping), 18:29.

Second period - 1, Van, H.Sedin 3 (Pyatt, Isbister), 4:41. Penalty - D.Sedin, Van (hooking), 19:21.

Third period - 2, Col, Liles 2 (Hejduk, Sakic), 1:01 (pp). Penalty - Weaver, Van (hooking), 16:54.

Overtime - 3, Van, H.Sedin 4 (D.Sedin, Edler), 1:22. Penalties - None.

Shots - Col 8-8-9-0 - 25. Van 9-9-7-3 - 28. Power plays - Col 1 of 3; Van 0 of 2. Goalies - Col, Theodore 4-2-1 (28 shots-26 saves). Van, Luongo 7-8-0 (25-24). A - 18,630 (18,630). T - 2:26. Referees - Dan O'Rourke, Kelly Sutherland. Linesmen - Derek Nansen, Mark Wheler.

lopezaa@RockyMountainNews.com Canucks 2, Avalanche 1, OT