Vancouver Canucks clinch playoff spot with 2-1 win over Detroit

It wasn't pretty, but in the end, a 2-1 shootout victory was effective enough for the Vancouver Canucks to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Actually, once they forced overtime they were guaranteed the single standing point necessary to nail down a postseason berth. By winning the shootout, the Canucks crept closer to winning the Northwest Division title.

The team now has a six-point lead over Minnesota as it enters the final week of the NHL's regular season. Saturday's win—the team's sixth straight on home ice—left the Canucks with a 25-13-7 record on the season.
 
The Canucks opened the scoring on Alex Edler's power-play goal midway through the first period, only to see the Red Wings even the score on a Cory Emmerton deflection in the final minute of the first.

That was it for the scoring in the game until Max Lapierre scored the only goal of the shootout. The story of the night, however—as it has been on so many nights this season for the Canucks—was the netminding of Cory Schneider.

The Red Wings outshot the Canucks 34-14 on the night, including a 21-3 edge over the final 25 minutes of play when Schneider was easily the best Canuck on the ice. The Boston native also stopped all three Red Wings' attempts in the shootout.
 
The game marked the third straight outing the Canucks produced just one goal. Suddenly offence is a concern heading to the playoffs.

Injuries continue to be an issue, too, as Keith Ballard left the hockey game early in the third period after tweaking his back in a second-period fight. Although not considered a serious injury, Ballard joins fellow blueliners Kevin Bieksa and Chris Tanev on the shelf.
 
The Canucks host the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Arena on Monday night (April 22) and Anaheim comes to town Thursday (April 25) before the Canucks finish their regular season on Saturday (April 27) in Edmonton.