After rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the third, the Canucks got the victory when Ehrhoff’s slapshot from the blue line beat Henrik Karlsson between his pads.
Daniel Sedin had a pair of assists to clinch the NHL scoring race with 41 goals and 63 assists. Sedin’s 104 points are the fewest for an Art Ross Trophy winner since Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis won it with 94 in 2003-04.
Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows also scored for Vancouver (54-19-9), which finishes the season with a team-record 117 points. The playoffs begin on Wednesday, but the Canucks will not know their first-round opponent until Sunday.
Jarome Iginla and Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary, which missed the playoffs for the second season in a row.
In San Jose, California, Joe Pavelski scored his 20th goal of the season and Antti Niemi made 35 saves as San Jose wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the West.
Ian White and Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, who are assured of home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds. The Sharks will not know their first-round opponent until after Chicago’s season finale against Detroit on Sunday.
The Coyotes missed out on a chance to finish fourth in the conference and having home ice for the first round.
In Philadelhia, Scott Hartnell and Andrej Meszaros each scored two goals to help Philadelphia clinch the Atlantic Division and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia opens defense of its conference championship next week against the seventh-seeded Buffalo Sabres.
In Los Angeles, Saku Koivu had a goal and an assist, and Dan Ellis made 43 saves to help Anaheim claim the fourth seed in the Western playoffs.
Brandon McMillan and Francois Beauchemin also scored for the Ducks, who didn’t even clinch a playoff spot until Friday’s 2-1 home win over the Kings. After sweeping the weekend to cap their 15-5-0 finish, the Ducks will host a postseason series.
Nashville and Phoenix both lost Saturday before Anaheim won, leaving all three clubs with 99 points.
In New York, captain Chris Drury scored his first goal of the season in a surprise return to the lineup and Ryan McDonagh netted the first of his career as New York rallied for the win, then got some help to reach the playoffs.
The Rangers had to wait several hours to see if they would claim the No. 8 seed in the East, and they did when Carolina lost at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2. New York edged out Carolina by two points and will face Washington in the first round.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Vincent Lecavalier had a goal and an assist, and quick-starting Tampa Bay eliminated Carolina from playoff contention.
Lecavalier, Dominic Moore and Steven Stamkos scored during a 6-minute, 32-second flurry in the first period. The Lightning led 4-0 midway through the second and held on to send the New York Rangers into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the East.
Tampa Bay, the East’s No. 5 seed, will play fourth-seeded Pittsburgh in the first round.
In Sunrise, Florida, Bill Thomas scored with 6:05 remaining and Tomas Vokoun made 28 saves to help Florida close the season by snapping a 10-game losing streak.
Washington, which lost for only the third time in 20 games (16-3-1), had clinched the top seed in the East on Friday when Philadelphia lost to Buffalo.
In Boston, Nathan Horton scored a tiebreaking goal early in the second period and Tim Thomas stopped 31 shots to help Boston win its regular-season home finale.
It was the Bruins’ seventh win in 10 games and left them in contention for the East’s second seed with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Boston must win its regular-season finale Sunday in New Jersey to have a chance.
In St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak shut out playoff-bound Nashville for the third time this season and T.J. Oshie scored from his knees early in the second period for St. Louis.
Pekka Rinne made 24 saves for the Predators, who finished in a three-way tie with 99 points and must wait until Chicago plays Sunday to find out where they’ll be seeded.
In Columbus, Ohio, Paul Gaustad scored the winner late on a power play, and four other Buffalo players scored in the season finale for both teams.
With the game tied 3-3, Drew Stafford and Gaustad, who also had an assist, scored on a five-minute major to former Buffalo captain Craig Rivet for cross-checking Tyler Ennis .
In Toronto, Brian Gionta scored two goals and Carey Price made 27 saves to help Montreal close the season as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern playoffs.
Ryan White and Tomas Plekanec also scored for the Canadiens, who could have slipped to seventh with a loss but instead set up a first-round matchup against the rival Boston Bruins.
Canucks wrap up best regular season
Publication Date:
Sun, 2011-04-10 23:18
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