VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Daniel Sedin scored twice before leaving on a stretcher after taking a hit from behind as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 5-1 Sunday night in the season finale.
Frank Corrado got his first NHL goal, and Ryan Kesler and Yannick Weber also scored for Vancouver. Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves for his first victory with the Canucks.
The result of a game that meant very little was overshadowed by a nasty incident late in the second period when Daniel Sedin was checked in the numbers by Calgary's Paul Byron and stayed down before being taken off on a stretcher. Sedin appeared to be moving his fingers, but there was no immediate update on his status. Byron was assessed a major for boarding and a game misconduct.
The Canucks said in a statement that Sedin was taken in stable condition to a hospital to undergo further evaluation.
"He exhibited signs of movement to his extremities and showed improvement from initially being hit," the statement read. "No assessment will be made until completion of this evaluation."
Henrik Sedin added two assists for Vancouver, which missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Johnny Gaudreau scored in his first NHL game and Karri Ramo stopped 18 shots for Calgary, which is out of the postseason for the fifth straight year.
Vancouver scored twice in the first period and stretched its lead to 3-0 at 9:12 of the second on Corrado's first career goal on a shot from the top of the faceoff circle through traffic past Ramo.
Kesler then ripped his 25th of the season at 13:49 to make it 4-0 before Gaudreau scored his first in the NHL at 15:22, when a deflection in front went off his stick and past Markstrom to get Calgary on the board.
The 20-year-old Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker award earlier this week as the top player in U.S. college hockey after the native of Salem, N.J., recorded 35 goals and 42 assists in 39 games this season with Boston College.
After Sedin was taken off the ice before the hushed Rogers Arena crowd, Weber scored on the ensuing power play to make it 5-1 at 18:55, with Vancouver rookie Michael Zalewski picking up an assist for his first point in the NHL.
Markstrom, who came over as part of the Roberto Luongo trade with the Florida Panthers last month, made a nice save on Sean Monahan's breakaway early in the third but had a relatively quiet night.
The Canucks gave up two separate 2-on-1 breaks to the Flames' fourth line early in the first period but survived that scare to score the opening goal at 7:14. Vancouver's David Booth, while falling to the ice, swatted at a rebound in front that bounced off Daniel Sedin and past a surprised Ramo.
Markstrom then made a couple of nice saves on a Calgary power play midway through the period before the Canucks doubled their lead at 13:57 on a power play of their own when Sedin chipped home his 16th of the season.It marked Sedin's first two-goal game of the season and first since Feb. 24, 2013 — a span of 101 games.
NOTES: The Canucks inducted former head coach and general manager Pat Quinn into the Ring of Honor high above the ice surface prior to the game. Quinn led the Canucks' team that lost in Game 7 of the 1995 Stanley Cup final to the New York Rangers. ... Canucks players are scheduled to meet the media on Monday morning.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.