Ales Kotalik scored an important power-play goal and backup Steve Valiquette made 18 saves in New York’s 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
New York, which have won four straight since its season-opening loss at Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh, earned the victory in Sean Avery’s season debut following a knee injury during training camp.
Avery played his annoying style and goaded Ducks defenseman Ryan Whitney into a roughing penalty 1:34 into the third, setting up Kotalik’s winning score.
Valiquette stopped 11 shots in the second period after a quiet start and earned his fourth NHL shutout and 15th career victory.
Artem Anisimov scored his first NHL goal with 5:38 left during another power play to make it 2-0, with an assist from Avery. That goal was set up by Evgeny Artyukhin’s 4-minute, high-sticking penalty.
Dan Girardi sealed the win with 1:59 left.
CANUCKS 4, STARS 3, SO
At Vancouver, Kyle Wellwood and Ryan Kesler scored in the shootout to lift the Canucks over Dallas.
Wellwood beat Marty Turco with a deke to open the tiebreaker, Brad Richards was forced wide by a sprawling Roberto Luongo and Kesler snapped a low shot past Turco’s blocker. Luongo, who made 33 saves, stopped Mike Ribeiro to preserve the victory.
Dallas rookie Jamie Benn scored his first NHL goal to tie the game with 1:33 left in regulation to force overtime.
Kesler also scored in regulation, and Alex Burrows and Willie Mitchell added goals for the Canucks. Ribeiro and Richards scored for Dallas.
■SEDIN OUT INJURED
AFP, VANCOUVER
Sweden’s Daniel Sedin sustained the first major injury of his NHL career, suffering a broken foot in Wednesday’s Vancouver Canucks’ game against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 29-year-old Sedin, who plays on a line for the Canucks with his twin brother Henrik, is expected to be out four-to-six weeks with the injury.
Doctors put a cast on the foot, which was fractured when he was struck by a shot from teammate Alex Edler. Sedin played the rest of the game with the broken foot.
The Sedins have played their entire nine-year career with the Canucks. In the past Daniel has missed no more than seven games in a season.
He has represented Sweden numerous times in international competition, winning a gold medal at the 2006 Turin Games.
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