Anaheim trumps Vancouver in overtime

British Columbia boy, and one of the best defensemen of his era, Scott Niedermeyer, was the overtime hero last night, as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3.

It was a rare 3-on-3 situation in overtime, and the swift skating Duck captain made the most of the extra ice. Vancouver seemed to have dodged a bullet, as Pavol Demitra was sent off for hooking in OT, but shortly thereafter Ducks forward Teemu Selanne was called for holding, negating the overtime power play.

It was the biggest goal of the year for the Ducks, as the victory gave Anaheim 70 points on the season, one point behind Edmonton and Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Vancouver, despite now having dropped two in a row, still sit in 5th spot with 77 points.

It can be argued that justice prevailed, as the Ducks had had two goals disallowed in regulation, one because it actually snuck through the side of the net, and the other because of a delayed penalty being called against them.

Teemu Selanne’s first period tally 17:35 in gave him 573 for his illustrious career, tying him with the great Mike Bossy for 18th on the all time goals list. As great as Selanne is, it just speaks volumes to the goal scoring ability of Mike Bossy. The former New York Islander sniper accomplished the feat of 573 goals in 366 fewer games than the finish flash.

The Ducks who were the Stanley Cup Champs in 2007 have struggled with inconsistency for most of the year. While they still boast many of the core players who led them to the cup, they have not been able to display the winning form they had a couple years ago.

The Canucks will look to get back into the win column tomorrow night as they host the LA Kings, who beat them earlier on in the week by a score of 3-2.