Bertuzzi’s first game against Avs uneventful
Still drenched in sweat, Todd Bertuzzi was asked if he was glad his first game against the Colorado Avalanche since his attack on Steve Moore was finally behind him.
“No, I would have played a couple of more periods,” said Bertuzzi, who had one assist in the Canucks’ 6-4 victory Saturday night in Vancouver, British Columbia. “It’s another hockey game.”
Bertuzzi played 18 minutes, 12 seconds against Colorado. He recorded three shots on net, made a hit and was called for tripping.
All in all, it was a pretty uneventful night. Bertuzzi didn’t look for trouble, and the Avalanche didn’t label him a marked man.
He said there were no nerves, or feelings of tension and apprehension.
“No, not at all,” Bertuzzi replied.
In the days leading up to the game, Bertuzzi – and players on both teams – contended there was nothing special about the matchup. No grudges to settle, no scores to even.
Colin Campbell, the NHL’s chief disciplinarian, was in attendance just in case. He was treated to a fast-paced game, with lots of skating, that wasn’t decided until the final few seconds.
“We were just trying to get two points, just trying to win a game,” said Colorado captain Joe Sakic, who had two assists. “There was no sense getting carried away with anything. We just wanted to win a game and that’s the most important thing.”
By facing the Avalanche, Bertuzzi cleared another hurdle since being reinstated by the NHL following a 17-month suspension for a blindside punch to the head of Moore, then a Colorado forward.
The next challenge will come Thursday and Saturday in Denver when the Canucks play the Avalanche on enemy ice. Bertuzzi knows a hostile crowd waits for him in Colorado.
“We will have to stay focused and be mentally tough on this road trip,” he said.
During a March 8, 2004, game Bertuzzi punched Moore in the head from behind, then fell on him, driving the Harvard grad’s head into the ice. Moore sustained broken bones in his neck and still feels concussion-related symptoms that may end his hockey career.
In the 19 months since the teams last met, numerous roster changes have been made. Only nine members of the Avalanche played in both games.
“I think we have to more forward,” said Colorado coach Joel Quenneville, who wasn’t with the team at the time. “We’ve had some time here. We have a new group.”
On the ice
Flames 3, Kings 2: In Los Angeles, Chris Simon scored his second goal of the game on a power play with 30 seconds left in the third period to lead Calgary to a victory over the Kings.
Luc Robitaille and Derek Armstrong scored first-period goals for the Kings.
Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 18 shots, including a breakaway by Pavol Demitra with 16:40 left in the third period.
Dion Phaneuf scored the tying goal at 13:36 of the second period. His flip shot toward the net deflected in off Tim Gleason’s skate.
Blackhawks 4, Wild 2: In Chicago, rookie Mikael Holmqvist scored a tiebreaking goal midway through the third period to lift the Blackhawks over Minnesota.
Holmqvist put a rebound past Minnesota goalie Dwayne Roloson for his first goal of the season and third of his career.
Duncan Keith added a power-play goal with 6:38 left as the Blackhawks snapped Minnesota’s three-game winning streak.
Mighty Ducks 5, Coyotes 3: In Anaheim, Calif., Petr Sykora, Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald scored first-period goals as the Mighty Ducks defeated Phoenix.
After building the early 3-0 lead, the Ducks got the eventual deciding score on rookie Jonathan Hedstrom’s first NHL goal with 15:19 left. Rob Niedermayer added a power-play goal on an assist from his brother, Scott, with 34 seconds remaining.