Miller, Canucks banish Devils
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Miller halted 20 shots to post his second shutout of the season, and Vancouver shut down New Jersey, 2-0, at Rogers Arena on a night the hosts celebrated former defenseman and head coach Pat Quinn.
Alex Burrows and Shawn Matthias supplied offense for the Canucks, who have won two in a row and eight of their last 10 (8-1-1).
Quinn, an original member of the franchise, died on Monday at the age of 71. He played two seasons in Vancouver during his nine-year NHL career, then later served as head coach and general manager, racking up a 141-111-28 record and taking the club to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994. Quinn took home the Jack Adams Trophy as the league's top coach that year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was the opposite of somber. I had extra energy, said Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa.
Cory Schneider played well in defeat, making 34 saves for the Devils, who stumbled to their fourth loss in five and completed a western Canadian road swing at 1-2-1.
"I thought he was excellent. He came and gave us a chance to get through the first 10 minutes and find our legs," said Devils head coach Peter DeBoer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Schneider, the former Canucks netminder, stopped all 17 shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes but couldn't handle Burrows' deflection of Bieksa's right- point offering just 74 seconds into the second.
Matthias provided insurance with 5:23 left in regulation, fending off Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky on a contested breakaway and sliding a backhander just over the goal line.
"That was a game we wanted to win. We had a good start... Lots of guys have played hard, and that's all you can ask for," admitted Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins as his team maintained a two-point distance from first-place Anaheim in the Pacific Division.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Miller blanked an opponent for the 31st time in his 12-year career ... Vancouver has won three in a row and six of the last seven home dates with New Jersey since March of 2000 ... A video tribute to Quinn preceded the singing of "Danny Boy," in a nod to the love Quinn had for his Irish ancestry. The Hamilton, Ontario native ended his coaching career at 684-528-34 with 154 ties in 1,400 appearances for the Flyers, Kings, Canucks, Maple Leafs and Oilers