The Vancouver Canucks lost again Saturday, making it eight in a row, but they went down fighting against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And they scored three goals - more than the two they tallied in their previous five games combined.

Tempers flared in the third period, as multiple skirmishes broke out after Nazem Kadri rocked Daniel Sedin with a blindside hit. Eventually, a line brawl saw goaltender Ryan Miller come to the aid of rookie defenseman Troy Stecher, who was being pummeled by enforcer Matt Martin.

"It's great to see us sticking together," Daniel Sedin - who escaped serious injury on the Kadri hit - said after the game. "The game got out of hand, but we stayed together. We'll get through this."

Head coach Willie Desjardins agreed with his star player.

"We thought it was a high hit on Danny. I like the fact our group stuck up for each other. The room cares," he said. "I have no problems with that. One thing you want is your guys to stick up for each other and Miller did that."

Miller put it well when explaining why he stepped up for Stecher, who officially recorded the first fight of his career against Martin.

"I wasn't going to let Stecher get baptized like that by Martin," he said, according to Canucks beat writer Jeff Paterson. "It was a bit predatory."

Miller's hoping the Canucks will grow from what their experience in Toronto. Mired in a prolonged losing streak, Vancouver must right the ship sooner than later.

"We're getting towards rock bottom here," Miller added, "so maybe this will get us going. We had our blood boiling out there."

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