Niedermayer seizes day

Scott Niedermayer's breakaway goal in overtime keeps the Anaheim Ducks firmly in the Western Conference play-off picture with a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Scott Niedermayer scored a breakaway goal in overtime to keep the Anaheim Ducks firmly in the Western Conference play-off picture with a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. Niedermayer, the Ducks captain, slipped past the defence and received a pass before beating goaltender Roberto Luongo for the winning score 3:37 into the extra session. "I almost lost the puck and just wanted to get it back: I just went down and tried to get it up," he said.

"We needed it. Everyone knows the standings, and we're not where we want to be. "Now we have got to go back to work." Jonas Hiller, the Ducks goalie, provided a solid foundation for the victory with 32 saves as Anaheim ended a three-game losing run to pull within one point of the eighth and final play-off spot in the conference. * Reuters