Jimmy Howard stopped 34 shots, including all three he faced in the shootout, as the Detroit Red Wings downed the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 to sweep their way through western Canada.
Jiri Hudler ripped a slap shot past Roberto Luongo on Detroit's first try in the skills competition to break a 1-1 deadlock. Luongo finished the game with 32 stops for the Canucks. Detroit, which defeated Calgary and Edmonton on the trip as well, now trails Vancouver by just one point in the West, 60-59.
Daniel Sedin and Johan Franzen scored in regulation for the Canucks and Wings, respectively, a night after the Red Wings overcame a 4-2 deficit to top Calgary in a shootout, 5-4. Detroit was playing in its first game without defenseman Brad Stuart, who will miss 6-8 weeks after having his jaw broken during Friday's game.
Sedin put Vancouver on top in the second period, putting home a rebound from a Ryan Kesler shot past Howard on the power play. Vancouver was granted a power play after the Wings' Tomas Holmstrom was called for interfering with Kevin Bieska, which halted a power play of their own.
Franzen scored the equalizer just 42 seconds into the third period, depositing his team-leading 18th goal behind Luongo on a power play.
Detroit nearly won it in overtime when Niklas Kronwall appeared to fire a slap shot past Luongo with under a minute left, but the Red Wings' Todd Bertuzzi was called for incidental interference on the Canucks' netminder. Bertuzzi and Luongo's skates made contact outside the goal crease, sending Luongo flopping to the ground as Kronwall let his blast go.