Dein erstes Forum » on clawed back in the second half. Jon

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks arent used to this feeling. After five straight playoff appearances -- including a Stanley Cup final Game 7 on home ice just three seasons ago -- the clubs miserable 2013-14 campaign was finally taken off life support Monday. It wasnt pretty on the ice or in the stands. John Gibson made just 18 saves to record a shutout in his first NHL game as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the listless Canucks 3-0 to officially eliminate Vancouver from post-season contention. "Not a very good feeling," said defenceman Kevin Bieksa. "Not too familiar. Its been a while. Were disappointed for sure. The last few weeks have been very disappointing." The Canucks played a decent opening 20 minutes on Monday, but couldnt muster anything through the final two periods with their season on the line. Once the hottest ticket in town, the lower bowl at Rogers Arena was dotted by hundreds of empty seats throughout the game, and many of the fans who did show up started heading to the exits long before the final buzzer sounded. The night ended with some in the half-empty building chanting for Canucks president and general manager Mike Gillis to be fired. Gillis seemed to criticize the style of first-year head coach John Tortorella in a radio interview last week, saying that he wanted the team to get back to the type of game that got it to the 2011 final against the Boston Bruins. But its clear many blame Gillis for the teams current plight. "(Fans) paid big money to come to these games. Its their prerogative how they handle themselves," said Tortorella. "As far as fans are concerned, thats their call. "They pay money to come see the games. Theyre not happy. They can voice their opinion how they like to." Bieksa said the players heard the chants with the clock and their playoff chances winding down. "Personally I dont think its the right thing to do, but at the end of the day the fans come and they can do whatever they want," he said. "Put it this way: were all going to take the blame for this. Its not just one or two guys. Its the whole team. Were going to take what we get, move forward, push through this." Daniel Winnik, Kyle Palmieri and Matt Beleskey had the goals for Anaheim (51-20-8), which is in a dog fight with the San Jose Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division. Eddie Lack stopped 20 shots in his 19th straight start for Vancouver (35-33-11) since the Olympic break. The Canucks post-season hopes had been reduced to a mere mathematical possibility in recent weeks and it was fitting they were finally knocked off the cliff by an Anaheim team that looks primed for a long playoff run. Known for his outbursts during other coaching stops, Tortorella has been on his best behaviour in Vancouver and that didnt change despite Mondays disappointment. "It doesnt do anybody any good right now to be critical," said Tortorella. "Obviously we didnt play well enough, but Im not going to criticize the hockey club at this stage." Down 1-0 after giving up a short-handed goal in the first, the Canucks came out inexplicably flat in the second, registering just three shots in a demoralizing effort that saw Anaheim grab a 2-0 lead on Palmieris 14th of the season at 17:03. Prior to that back-breaker, the Canucks had a couple chances to at least direct pucks at Anaheims rookie netminder, but both Jannik Hansen and Daniel Sedin passed up shooting opportunities on separate 2-on-1 breaks. Vancouver had just nine shots to Anaheims 18 through two periods, with a smattering of boos just a prelude of what was to comes as the teams headed to the locker-rooms. "We just didnt execute very well. We had a good first period," said Bieksa. "They capitalized on our power play. Its not the end of the game. Were still feeling good. Second period just wasnt very good at all. "If I could pinpoint it, we just werent executing. We werent making tape-to-tape passes. We were creating our own problems for ourselves." The Ducks -- who sit three points ahead of the Sharks for top spot in the Pacific Division and have a crucial home date against San Jose on Wednesday -- basically put things on autopilot in the third to help snap a two-game slide that included Sundays loss to the Edmonton Oilers. "The team played really well in front of me and made my job easier, I only had to make regular saves and if there was rebounds they cleared it out," said Gibson, who became the youngest goalie to earn a shutout in his first start since Daren Puppa in 1985. "Everyone knew it was a big game." Anaheim made it 3-0 against the sleepy Canucks 1:20 into the third when Beleskey finished off a pretty passing play for his seventh of the season. Gibson didnt have a lot to do on the night, but did make a huge save on Niklas Jensen to preserve the shutout with about eight minutes gone in the third. "He looked so much more calmer than a 20-year-old kid playing his first NHL game," said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. "It was like Ho hum. After my first game when I scored a goal you couldnt shut me up, I was so happy I was jumping up and down, and he was just Ah, here we go again. "I think its a demeanour that a goalie has to have." Coming of a spirited 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night that kept their minuscule playoff hopes alive, the Canucks didnt seem ready off Mondays opening faceoff. Lack stopped Cogliano on a breakaway 15 seconds into the first period, but the Vancouver goaltender couldnt bail his team a second time after another gaffe a few minutes. With Vancouver on the power play, Winnik jumped on a mistake by Canucks captain Henrik Sedin and moved in alone to rip his sixth of the season at 6:26. Vancouver had a couple of chances later in the man advantage, including a scramble in front of Gibson that saw the puck dribble off the post and stay out. Alexander Edler then ripped another shot off the iron that fooled Gibson, who is seen by many as Anaheims goalie of the future. Those two instances would be among the only highlights for the Canucks, who must now regroup with three meaningless games remaining on their schedule. "We keep preparing as we always do until the seasons done," said Tortorella. "Obviously were out of the playoffs now, but I still believe you go about your business until the last day of work and thats how were going to approach it and I believe the team will too." Notes: The game marked Teemu Selannes final visit to Vancouver as a player. Set to retire after the post-season, 43-year-old has said repeatedly that the city is his favourite stop in the NHL. The Canucks honoured Selanne with a brief scoreboard tribute in the first period. ... The Ducks are 10-1-2 in the second of back-to-back games this season, including two wins against the Canucks. ... Anaheim now has a 110 points in 2013-14, which tied a franchise record set in 2006-07 when the club won its only Stanley Cup. ... Gibson led the United States to gold at the 2013 world junior hockey championship. ... The Canucks host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Wholesale Air Force 1 . The South Africa international, who rejoined the club last month on loan from Tottenham, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful shot into the roof of the net. Cheap Air Force 1 Uk . "Hopefully well get all this out of the way," he said, "and everyone will be healthy the rest of the year." Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss between four to six weeks. http://www.airforce1uk.com/.Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference. Air Force 1 Cheap Outlet . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold. Air Force 1 Uk . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. MONTREAL -- FC Edmonton had its first Amway Canadian Championship final within its grasp. But then it all slipped away. Edmonton was winning on aggregate after 90 minutes of play on Wednesday, even though the Montreal Impact were winning the match 3-2. But Patrice Bernier scored late in stoppage time on a penalty kick to give Montreal its second consecutive Amway Canadian Championship final berth. "Its sickening," said Frank Jonke, who scored the games two goals for Edmonton three minutes apart in the second half. "It leaves a sick feeling in everybodys stomach on our team. To lose, to not go through on that, is very sickening for us." Having lost the first leg of the home-and-home series 2-1 in Edmonton last week, the Impact needed a two-goal victory for a spot in the next round. Berniers goal five minutes into stoppage time, effectively the last kick of the game, gave Montreal the 5-4 victory on aggregate over the Eddies. In the dying minutes of added time, Montreals Heath Pearce fired a shot into a crowd of Edmonton defenders in the box. Referee Drew Fischer blew his whistle for handball, ran over to Edmontons Kareem Moses, and then pointed to the penalty spot. "I dont think it was a handball," said Jonke. "I dont think it was a penalty, and I think we should be going through." Edmonton coach Colin Miller also thought his team was robbed. "(Two Edmonton players) saw one of our players with his hands behind his back. And the ball hit him here," said Miller, pointing to his shoulder. "The referee then went to the wrong player to tell him it hit him." Miller was livid with Fischer after the game, and confronted the official as he was leaving the pitch. "Our players in the second half didnt deserve to get beaten in the manner that they did," said Miller. "I had a go at the referee after the game, and rightly so. The job that we do as coaches is hard enough without that decision being made." Impact president Joey Saputo then jumped onto the field and got into a screaming match with Miller. "I wished him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" quipped the Edmonton coach. "Im sure Mr. Saputo will buy me a Guinness afterwards." With the win, Montreal (1-0-1) will play either Toronto FC or the Vancouver Whitecaps in the two-leg final on May 28 and June 4. The winner will advance to the CONCACAF Champions League. The Impact went up 3-0 on Wednesday on two first-half goals by Jack McInerney and a 47th minute strike by Jeb Brovsky. Montreal was all but assured victory before Edmonton clawed back in the second half. Jonke scored his first goal in the 67th minutte when his shot from just outside the six-yard box deflected off an Impact defender and beat goalie Evan Bush.dddddddddddd The Edmonton striker added what would have been the series-clincher three minutes later from the penalty spot, firing right down the middle for his second of the game. The Eddies were awarded a penalty after Impact defender Karl Ouimette took down Neil Hlavaty in the box. Jonkes goals were the first conceded by the Impact at Saputo Stadium in four Canadian Championship matches dating back to 2012 when the team joined MLS. "The game should have been 5-0," said Impact coach Frank Klopas. "It should have been over. It was a lack of concentration. In five minutes, the game changed. We should have never been in this situation. We crumbled. Our mentality has to be stronger." If not for Berniers stoppage-time goal from the spot, the Eddies would have progressed to the next round. "Some guys took their foot off the gas pedal, and we let them right back into it," said McInerney. "We were fortunate to get a goal at the end. Its about time something goes our way this season." Last week in Edmonton, the Eddies scored a stoppage-time goal for the 2-1 victory. McInerney was the lone goal scorer for Montreal in that game, beating goalkeeper John Smits in the 56th minute. It only took 10 minutes for McInerney to score on the return leg at Saputo Stadium, firing home after a Justin Mapp cross missed Felipe in the box but fell right to the 21-year-old instead. "No disrespect to Edmonton, but theyre a lower-level team," said McInerney. "I would expect from myself to go out there and score every game against them." Mapp fed McInerney again seven minutes later, flicking the ball to the on-rushing striker with his heel at the edge of the 18-yard box. McInerney gave no chance to Smits, beating the Eddies keeper with a quick strike. As winners of last years Canadian Championship, the Impact made it to the CONCACAF Champions League for the second time in the continental tournaments six-year history, where they were eliminated in the group stage. Notes: Edmonton plays in the North American Soccer League, a league just below MLS. They are ninth in the NASL with four points from five games and have now played eight games in the last 26 days. a Striker Marco Di Vaio (hamstring injury) missed Wednesdays game. Di Vaio has not played since April 26. a There were less than 5,000 people in attendance at Saputo Stadium. a The Impact return to MLS play on Saturday when they take on D.C. United in the American capital. a The Eddies are on the road to face the San Antonio Scorpions on Saturday. ' ' '