Canucks 4, Red Wings 1
Captain Henrik Sedin scored a pair of empty-net goals, including the 200th tally of his career, and added an assist as host Vancouver posted its first regulation win over Detroit in more than three years.
Defenseman Alex Edler recorded a power-play goal and an assist while Radim Vrbata extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with a man-advantage tally as the Canucks beat the Red Wings in regulation for the first time since Dec. 21, 2011. Daniel Sedin collected three assists and Ryan Miller turned aside 29 shots for only his third victory in 15 starts versus Detroit (3-10-2).
Tomas Tatar spoiled Miller's shutout bid with 3 1/2 minutes to play as the Red Wings dropped the opener of their six-game road trip and fell to 10-5-2 in their last 17 at Vancouver. Jimmy Howard made 20 saves in defeat.
After a scoreless opening period, Vancouver registered the first goal for the sixth consecutive game at 1:48 of the second. Henrik Sedin slid the puck back to the left point and Edler stepped into a one-timer that beat Howard to the far corner of the net.
The Canucks doubled the lead as Vrbata converted midway through the third period, knocking home the rebound of his own shot, but Tatar cut the deficit in half with a blast from behind the left faceoff circle with Howard on the bench during a delayed penalty. Henrik Sedin squelched the comeback by scoring into an empty net with 1:51 remaining and adding another 79 seconds later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Canucks RW Zack Kassian returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a broken finger but did not record a shot on goal. ... Tatar scored for the fourth time in five games to give him a team-high 16 goals. ... Edler snapped a 22-game drought with his first goal since Nov. 6.