VANCOUVER - Kendall Waston scored in the 70th minute Saturday as the Vancouver Whitecaps clinched a Major League Soccer playoff spot with a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids. The hulking defender flung himself at a Pedro Morales corner kick to head home a goal his team desperately needed as the crowd of 21,000 at B.C. Place Stadium erupted. The Whitecaps entered the weekend one point up on Portland for the fifth and final spot in the Western Conference and had to win in order to advance after the Timbers defeated FC Dallas 2-0 in Texas earlier in the day. Vancouver will now visit Dallas in the Western Conferences No. 4 versus No. 5 one-game playoff on Wednesday. The Whitecaps (12-8-14) missed the 2013 post-season after making the playoffs back in 2012. The Rapids (8-18-8), who were only playing for pride, saw their winless run stretch to 14 games. The Whitecaps didnt know what result they required on the night until the Timbers game was completed just a few minutes into the match in Vancouver. Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson looked to spark his team early in the second half by bringing on speedy striker Kekuta Manneh, and the 19-year-old caused an immediate buzz, rattling the crossbar in the 58th minute behind Clint Irwin with a shot that beat the Colorado goalkeeper cleanly but stayed out. A lack of offence — Vancouver went the equivalent of five games without scoring at one point this year — has been a storyline all season and looked like it might sink the Whitecaps until Robinson rolled the dice again by bringing on Erik Hurtado in the 67th minute with his final substitution. The striker was too sick to start the game but was right next to Waston when he scored his goal, and nearly buried a chance of his own five minutes later. Colorado gave Vancouver a scare with about 10 minutes remaining, but Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted calmly collected the ball after a couple of frantic seconds in the penalty area. Ousted again had to be sharp on two Gabriel Torres chances late to ensure he collected his 13th shutout of the season. Despite the joy at the final whistle, it looked early like it might not be Vancouvers night. The Whitecaps didnt look comfortable right from the opening whistle, with a number passes and chances going astray. Waston directed a header wide off a free kick in the ninth minute before Morales effort moments later flashed wide. Darren Mattocks had another effort in the 19th, but he too missed the target with a header. Morales then shanked a shot from inside the Colorado box seven minutes later. Vancouvers best chance of the half came in the 29th minute when Sebastian Fernandez skipped past a Rapids defender but couldnt beat Irwin from in tight. Colorados only shot on target of the opening 45 minutes came in injury time when Charles Eloundou cut off the rush and forced Ousted into a good save at the near post. Note: The Whitecaps honoured former captain Jay DeMerit before the game. The 34-year-old retired in July and is now an ambassador with the club. ... Both teams had to substitute defenders in the first half, with Steven Beitashour limping off for Vancouver in the 33rd minute, while Marvell Wynne exited for Colorado in the 42nd. Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter Koen Casteels Belgium Jersey . After Andrew Romine served up two monster home runs in the inning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he thought Romine was one of the bright spots on the night, showing just how bad the series opener against the last-place Minnesota Twins went for the Tigers. 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Sergei Gonchar may make his Canadiens debut tonight when they try to match their longest winning streak of the season by beating the Boston Bruins again. Montreals 23 points trail only Anaheim, Vancouver and Tampa Bay, and getting its power play clicking should keep it among the NHLs elite. The Canadiens power play ranks 28th, converting just 3 of 42 chances, and one was an empty-netter by P.A. Parenteau in a 6-4 win over Boston on Oct. 16. P.K. Subban had Montreals last goal with the man advantage on Oct. 18, and the Habs are 0 for 22 since. Carey Price overshadowed those struggles Tuesday, making 29 saves in a 3-0 win over Winnipeg for his first shutout of the season. Montreal (11-4-1) struck a deal prior to the victory to address the units woes, acquiring Gonchar from Dallas in exchange for left wing Travis Moen. Hes a guy who has made a career out of his work on the power play, coach Michel Therrien told the teams official website. Well see how things play out, but hes definitely a guy with a lot of experience who has always been known for his vision and quick thinking on the power play. We have to work as a unit of five. Communication is important. Gonchar had one assist in three games with the Stars after returning from an ankle injury. However, 14 of his 22 points in 2013-14 came on the power play, and his 798 points rank 16th all-time among defensemen. The move shouldnt surprise anyone because weve struggled a little bit on the power play, said defenseman Andrei Markov, Gonchars teammate on various Russiia national teams.dddddddddddd Hes a great player for it. Hes a great player all around. Hopefully, hes going to help us move forward with the power play, and move forward in everything else. Price is practically doing it on his own, winning his last two starts while stopping 59 of 60 shots, increasing his save percentage from .907 to .918. He had 25 saves against the Bruins (10-7-0) last month, beating the Original Six rival for the fifth time in six home meetings - including the playoffs - with a 1.49 goals-against average. I cant score on him in practice, and it really hurts my self-esteem, defenseman Mike Weaver joked. Hes there for every key save out there. Hes able to stop the best goal scorers out there. The Bruins issues went beyond scoring in Wednesdays 6-1 loss to Toronto that ended a season-high five-game winning streak. We just stunk the joint out, coach Claude Julien said. Weve got a game (Thursday night in Montreal). You certainly cant cut down your bench when you play the next night, and even if I did, I dont think I wouldve been able to put anybody out there that deserved to be out there. That included Tuukka Rask, who was pulled early in the second period after giving up four goals on 16 shots. Its unclear if hell be back in net since hes 3-11-3 with a 2.80 GAA in 18 career regular-season meetings with the Canadiens, surrendering five goals on 23 attempts before being lifted in the third period last month. Carl Soderberg was held without a point Wednesday after getting six over the previous five games. The center, who is tied with Patrice Bergeron with a team-high 13 points, has a goal in each of his last two regular-season visits to Montreal. ' ' '