Canucks rally to defeat Blues in overtime

VANCOUVER -- It has taken the Vancouver Canucks just three games to completely change how they feel about trailing in the third period.
Vancouver center Bo Horvat scored to tie it on a rebound in tight with 2:55 left in the third period, and captain Henrik Sedin scored 1:40 into overtime to give the Canucks a 2-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

Vancouver is the first team in NHL history to win the first three games of a season without leading in regulation in any of them. The Canucks were 3-30-1 last season when trailing after the second period but have defeated the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Blues with third-period comebacks to start this season.
"After the first two games, when you know you are able to come back, it just brings a calmness to the team," Sedin said. "Even being down against a really good team tonight, we are confident we are going to get chances and come back, and that's a huge difference."

Jacob Markstrom made his 23rd save with his glove at one end and started the winning rush by playing the puck instead of holding it. At the other end, Daniel Sedin skated in alone inside the bottom of the left faceoff circle before passing across to Henrik for a shot just inside the post past goalie Jake Allen.
"Daniel and [Christopher] Tanev made some nice plays, and I just tried to drive the net and Daniel put it backdoor, and I was able to get a stick on it," Henrik said.
Allen made 24 saves, and Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fourth goal midway through the second period for the Blues, who failed in their bid to start a season with four straight wins for the second time in their history.
"It's tough at the end to give one up like that," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "We sat back. We had some good energy, then we started to sit back. We just didn't execute at the end of the third like we had to. We got a point out of it. So far it's a point in every game."
It's just the second time the Blues have had a point in four games to start a season.

Goal of the game

Tarasenko handcuffed Markstrom with a wrist shot under his glove from the right faceoff circle for his fourth goal and sixth point. "Every time the puck is in his hands, he's dangerous," Pietrangelo said of Tarasenko.

Save of the game

Canucks right wing Loui Eriksson appeared to have an empty net on a power play in the first period when the puck bounced to him at the left edge of the crease with Allen moving the other way. But Allen hung his right pad and got the toe on Eriksson's backhand swipe.

Unsung moment of the game

After gloving down Pietrangelo's slap shot in overtime, Markstrom quickly skated to the other side of his crease and dropped it to start the rush that led to the winning goal. "(In) 3-on-3 (overtime), you really want the puck, that's huge," Markstrom said. "They were really tired too, so they couldn't really forecheck on me."

Highlight of the game

Allen was good -- and lucky -- early in the second period, denying Henrik and Daniel Sedin on great chances but getting a break when Horvat and Markus Granlund hit the post two minutes apart.

They said it

"The puck was on our stick three times when we gave up the goal. If we would have skated with it three times, it's out. But we just shoveled it and made it someone else's problem. It ended up in the back of our net." -- Blues coach Ken Hitchcock on the tying goal
"We're not giving up nearly as many shots in the home plate area, which is just in front of the net. We're generating a lot more off our turnovers and tracking back and stuff like that. Structurally, we're way better this year." -- Canucks center Bo Horvat on the improved defensive play that gets overlooked after the comebacks

Need to Know

It was a surprise start for Markstrom after No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller said he was "tight" when he arrived at the rink. Coach Willie Desjardins said he expects Miller to skate Wednesday, but in the meantime, the Canucks signed University of British Columbia goalie Matt Hewitt to an amateur tryout contract as the emergency backup against the Blues. … St. Louis centers Jori Lehtera and Kyle Brodziak each sustained an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers on Saturday, so Alexander Steen dropped from right wing on the top line to center on the second.

What's Next

Canucks: Home against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SN360, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
Blues: At the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; SNOL, FS-MW, NHL.TV)