DENVER -- Already missing Chris Higgins, the Vancouver Canucks were almost without their other second-line winger on Saturday.

David Booth played, but he played in considerable pain after a night with very little sleep.

Booth began suffering upper-back and neck spasms Friday and they continued throughout the night.

"I couldn't even lay down because my back was seizing up," Booth said after the Canucks' 3-2 shootout win over the Colorado Avalanche. "I had to sit up for about five hours last night, just straight up against my bed, trying to sleep like that. It wasn't good."

Booth doesn't know what caused the spasms. He was on the receiving end of a hit on the end boards in Thursday night's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

"I don't know what it was a result of, but man it didn't feel good," he said.

Some heat therapy, massage and "some caffeine" helped, but Booth said he was still quite sore during the pre-game warmup.

But he decided to play and helped set up Vancouver's first goal by linemate Ryan Kesler.

"Every stride today, every time I moved my arms, it was just grabbing," Booth said.

The Canucks would have used defenceman Keith Ballard on the wing had Booth not been able to play.

BITZ AND PIECES: Coach Alain Vigneault seemed satisfied with the play of winger Byron Bitz, who was called up from the Chicago Wolves to replace Higgins in the lineup.

"I didn't mind it," Vigneault said. "He got around eight or nine minutes, fought a real tough opponent and cycled the puck a couple of times well. . .I had never seen him play live before. I saw some good things there."

Bitz fought Cody McLeod late in the first period and got the best of the Colorado winger.

"He asked me and I obliged," said Bitz. "That's pretty much all there was to it."

Bitz, who hadn't played a NHL game in nearly two years after dealing with major hip and abdominal injuries, played with Cody Hodgson and Jannik Hansen.

The team has said Higgins, who was left behind in Vancouver, has the flu. They hope he will rejoin the team at some point on its four-game trip that continues Tuesday night in Nashville.

OH SHOOT: Vigneault acknowledged he didn't particularly like his team's chances when Saturday's game went to a shootout. He was well aware that the Avs had a 7-0 record in shootouts this season, while his team had struggled.

"To tell you the truth, I knew we were facing the best (shootout) team in the NHL, so I was going, well. . .but he (Roberto Luongo) made three unbelievable saves and Mason (Raymond) was able to score a big goal for us."

Vigneault raised eyebrows when he sent out fourth-line forward Maxim Lapierre as his first shooter. On Thursday night against the Wings, defenceman Alexander Edler was first out.

"Max kept telling me he is four-for-six," Vigneault said.

Lapierre missed on his attempt, so now he's four-for-seven.

The Canucks are now 4-5 in shootouts this season.

PAYS TRIBUTE: You may have noticed Ryan Kesler point to the sky after his game-opening goal. That was a tribute to his grandmother, who passed away on Friday.

bziemer@vancouversun.com

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