Ken Klee and Peter Bondra also scored for the Capitals, who rebounded from a 5-0 loss in Philadelphia on Sunday and are 4-6-1 in their last 11 games but have won three straight at home. The victory moved Washington into a tie with Montreal and Hartford for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Adam Oates, who was acquired with Tocchet and Ranford from the Boston Bruins, added an assist as Washington improved to 3-2 since the trade and 5-0-2 in its last seven home games against the Canucks since March 17th, 1990.
Corey Hirsch made 27 saves for the Canucks, who are 0-4-2 in their last six games and 1-7-2 in their last 10.
Ranford needed to stop just 10 shots over the first two periods and was cruising with a 4-0 lead in the third when Martin Gelinas scored off a goalmouth scramble with the Canucks on a power play with 5:13 remaining. Ranford is 3-1 since the trade, playing the last four games.
Tocchet registered his 17th goal of the season and his initial goal for Washington in his second game as a Capital to open the scoring at 7:04 of the second period. Housley was at the top of the left circle when he sent a pass into the slot that Tocchet re-directed past Hirsch's glove.
The Capitals scored a back-breaking goal with 16 seconds left in the second when Oates won a faceoff in the left circle back to Klee, who smoked a slapper though traffic and past Hirsch's glove for his second goal. Klee's only other goal this season was also a game-winner, on October 23rd at the New York Rangers.
Housley scored for the first time since December 8th and eighth of the season at 6:45 of the third period when he worked a 2-on-1 with Tocchet, tried to go around Hirsch and elected to put the puck through the goaltender's pads instead of passing.
Bondra registered his team-best 41st goal 42 seconds later,
whacking in a cross-slot pass from Andrei Nikolishin.
Jon's 3 stars:
1. Rick Tocchet
2. Phil Housley
3. Adam Oates
Get your own Free Home Page