National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Vancouver 6, Edmonton 5
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 11, 2015
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees: Graham Skilliter, Brad Meier
Linesmen: Mark Wheler, Lonnie Cameron
Attendance: 18870

VANCOUVER -- Defenseman Alex Edler's goal at 2:29 of overtime gave the Vancouver Canucks a 6-5 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the final game of the NHL season on Saturday night.

Edler converted a two-on-one with left winger Daniel Sedin as the Canucks finished 48-29-5 -- a significant improvement from 2013-14, when they missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

After clinching second place in the Pacific Division earlier in the day, the Canucks will face the Calgary Flames in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Oilers, eliminated from the playoffs several weeks ago, completed the season with a 24-44-14 record and will wait to see how they fare in the NHL draft lottery. The winner will earn the right to pick first overall.

Left winger Sven Baertschi led Vancouver with two goals while Sedin, defenseman Kevin Bieksa and right winger Jannik Hansen also scored.

Left winger Benoit Pouliot paced the Oilers' attack with a goal and two assists. Left winger Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist while right wingers Nail Yakupov, Jordan Eberle and Teddy Purcell also scored.

Vancouver netminder Ryan Miller made 23 saves on 28 shots. Edmonton goaltender Ben Scrivens stopped 17 of 23.

The Oilers led 2-1 after the first period and 5-3 after the second, but the Canucks rallied in the third.

The offensive show came as neither team had much at stake. The Canucks secured home-ice advantage in the first round earlier in the day following Calgary's loss to Winnipeg, while the Oilers were merely looking to end the season on a positive note.

But the game was extremely important to Miller as he made his first start since suffering a knee injury Feb. 22. His presence raised the question of who will be Vancouver's No. 1 goaltender in the playoffs. Coach Willie Desjardins has refused to name his postseason starter but has said Eddie Lack's strong play in Miller's absence must be taken into consideration.

Miller was left all alone on Edmonton's first goal 9:45 into the game as Yakupov fired in center Derek Roy's goalmouth pass. The Oilers went ahead 2-0 only 11 seconds later as Eberle put in a wrist shot.

Sedin reduced Vancouver's deficit about three minutes later as he put in Edler's backdoor pass. Center Henrik Sedin started the scoring play by sending a cross-ice pass to Edler as he snuck in from the point.

The Canucks created a 2-2 tie at 2:15 of the second period as Bieksa scored on a wrap-around. But Hall restored Edmonton's lead at 3:44, tapping in Pouliot's pass following a rebound off Miller.

Pouliot doubled Edmonton's advantage to 4-2 at 7:47 on a shot from the high slot. However, Baertschi pulled the Canucks within a goal only 14 seconds later. He faked a pass and fired home his first goal with Vancouver since being acquired from Calgary at the NHL trading deadline.

Purcell increased Edmonton's lead to 5-3 with 30 seconds left in the middle frame. He converted his rebound following a partial breakaway. Rookie defenseman David Musil set up the goal, earning his first NHL point.

Hansen closed the gap to 5-4 on a wrist shot at 5:56 of the third period. Baertschi drew the Canucks even just under four minutes later as he took a pass from center Nick Bonino and fought off the bigger Musil.

NOTES: The Canucks honored retired RW Gino Odjick, a fan favorite who is suffering from a terminal illness. ... Edmonton RW Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall, a right winger who has been playing center lately, will play for Canada in the upcoming world championships. ... Oilers G Viktor Fasth, who had been out since suffering a knee injury in a shootout against Winnipeg on Feb. 18, came off injured reserve and backed up Ben Scrivens. Coach Todd Nelson opted to go with Scrivens instead of starting Fasth, who was eager to play following his long layoff. "Benny (Scrivens) hasn't
Top Game Performances
 
Edmonton   Vancouver
Benoit Pouliot 3 Points Alexander Edler 3
Benoit Pouliot 1 Goals Sven Baertschi 2
Benoit Pouliot 2 Assists Alexander Edler 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Ben Scrivens .739 Save Percentage Ryan Miller .821
Ben Scrivens 17 Saves Ryan Miller 23
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Edmonton 28 5 0-1 3-3 6 39
Vancouver 23 6 0-3 1-1 2 21
Upcoming Games
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Canucks have a W/L % of .521 after a win and .676 after a loss.