Deep Sixed: Canucks crush Oilers for 6th straight win

The Canucks’ holiday sweaters may be ugly, but their play lately has been anything but.

Roberto Luongo recorded his 65th career shutout as the Vancouver Canucks won their 6th straight game in a 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

After losing a shutout bid in the dying seconds of Sunday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche, Luongo would not be denied against the punchless Oilers and is now just one back of Patrick Roy for 14th on the all-time list.

Vancouver dominated the game against the struggling Oilers from the start, outshooting Edmonton 14-4 in the first period and 12-6 in the second.

But it wasn’t until 8:41 of the second, when a shot from the point from Daniel Sedin deflected off the Oilers’ Nick Schultz, that the Canucks got on the board.

They put the game away early in the third period, when Zach Kassian and Chris Higgins scored in the first seven minutes, before Dale Weise scored on the powerplay in the final minute of the game.

Vancouver moves to 19-10-5 on the season, sixth place in the Western Conference. Edmonton is in last place at 11-20-3.

The Canucks face the Boston Bruins tomorrow at 7pm.

Notes: Friday’s matchup was Kassian’s first against the Oilers since his eight-game suspension for hitting Sam Gagner in the head with his stick during the pre-season. The Edmonton forward missed 13 games with a broken jaw…Oilers forward Boyd Gordon returned to the lineup after missing six games with a shoulder injury…Edmonton’s four-game road trip continues Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks…After Saturday’s meeting with the Bruins, the Canucks open a three-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday…The third of five meetings between the Oilers and Canucks goes Jan. 21 in Edmonton.