The Canadian Press
Joshua Clipperton
VANCOUVER—Pulsating post-game music in the home locker-room at Rogers Arena has been far from the norm this season.
For at least one night, the Vancouver Canucks could relax.
Radim Vrbata recorded the sixth hat trick of his career last night as the Canucks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
“We were looking for a good performance for a win and to feel a little better about ourselves,” said Vrbata.
“Even though it’s just one game, it’s a good start.”
Brandon Prust and Henrik Sedin also scored for Vancouver (10-11-8) while Ryan Miller stopped 32 shots against his former team as the Canucks picked up just their fourth victory in the last 17 games.
“It’s a good feeling, for sure, coming in here [locker-room] and seeing a lot of smiles on guys that haven’t been scoring,” said Henrik Sedin.
“Hopefully we can build on this one.”
Daniel Sedin and Adam Cracknell added two assists each as Vancouver also won at home for just the fourth time this season (4-6-3).
“We’ve talked about getting our confidence back, getting our swagger back, where you’re going into games and you’re feeling like you’re going to win,” said Prust.
“That’s what this does.”
Brian Gionta and Sam Reinhart replied for Buffalo (11-14-3), which got 26 saves from Linus Ullmark.
“We want better within this room,” said Gionta.
“We know we’re capable of that so that’s why it’s so disappointing.”
The Sabres grabbed a 1-0 lead at 6:48 of the first when Gionta batted a puck out of the air for his third on a play that stood up after video review.
The Canucks responded just 80 seconds later on a Vrbata rebound before he deflected another home with 3:18 left in the period for a 2-1 lead.
“It always helps when on your first or second shift, you get an open net,” noted Vrbata.
“Then you get a tip there and it seems like everything’s falling in place.”
Prust made it 3-1 at 4:34 of the second with his first of the season off a nice pass in front from Derek Dorsett.
Prust, who was fined $5,000 for his spear on Brad Marchand in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Boston, celebrated his first goal in 50 games.
“We have been frustrated a little bit with our game,” admitted Prust.
“We have done some good things but haven’t been rewarded,” he noted.
“It’s good to finally be rewarded.”
Vancouver then made it 4-1 with 2:42 left in the period on a 4-on-3 power play when Henrik Sedin tipped Alexander Edler’s shot past Ullmark for his ninth.
“There has been a stretch here you can tell there’s been guys that have been thinking hockey differently,” said Henrik Sedin.
“Some guys want to get it deep and work it down low and other guys want to make plays,” he remarked.
“Tonight we were on the same page.”
Playing their third game in four nights following Sunday’s 4-2 loss in Edmonton, the Sabres got one back at 1:51 of the final period.
Ryan O’Reilly stole the puck from Canucks’ defenceman Dan Hamhuis behind the Vancouver goal and fed Reinhart, who fired past Miller for his eighth.
But Vrbata rounded things out with his first hat trick for the Canucks—and first since Oct. 3, 2013 when he was a member of the Phoenix Coyotes—by ripping a shot past Ullmark for his ninth of the campaign with 5:32 to go.
“The last couple games, you could see we were not a very confident group,” said Vrbata.
“It seemed like every mistake we made, it turned against us.
“It’s good to have a game like that where you have a good performance and you get a result,” he added.
Elsewhere in the NHL, Colorado edged Minnesota 2-1 (OT) and Nashville nipped Boston 3-2.
