VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Ryan Kesler scored three goals, Mason Raymond had two, Roberto Luongo made 29 saves and the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks closed out their regular-season home schedule with a 5-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
Daniel Sedin added two assists to push his NHL-leading point total to 102 and the Canucks rebounded from consecutive losses to last-place Edmonton to build on their franchise record-setting 115-point season.
Niklas Backstrom stopped 18 of 23 shots before being replaced by Jose Theodore after Kesler scored his third on a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle early in the third period. The Wild have two wins in 13 games while winding down a non-playoff season with seven regulars injured and five callups from their American Hockey League affiliate in Houston in the lineup.
"Maybe there was a couple he could have had, but it s a team effort," Wild coach Todd Richards said about Backstrom. "They have guys that if you are bit off and not executing the way you want, they make you pay."
