Motown malaise

Canucks earn sweep in Detroit with 5-2 win over Wings

Dan Cloutier has a save percentage of .930 in leading the Canucks to a surprising 2-0 series lead. Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images

DETROIT (AP) -- The Vancouver Canucks were not giddy, they weren't even smiling after beating what's been regarded as the greatest show on ice.

Five players scored for the eighth-seeded Canucks in Friday night's 5-2 victory that gave them a sweep of the two games in Detroit over the team that easily had the NHL's best record in the regular season.

While the Red Wings have looked as if they're playing with all of the pressure that comes with Stanley Cup expectations, the Canucks have been playing as if they've done this before.

Vancouver kept its tempo up and consequently won most of the little foot races to loose pucks and kept Detroit to the perimeter most of the night. Ultimately, the Canucks' preparation and execution focused on their game and not that of their high-profile opponent. Click here for more from Eliot.

"Maybe we don't know any better," Vancouver's Brendan Morrison said.

After winning their first playoff game since 1996 in Wednesday's Game 1, the Canucks have now won two straight for the first time in seven years.

The start to the best-of-seven first-round series has mirrored the end of the regular season: Detroit won only one of its final 10 games, while the Canucks were 8-0-1 in their last nine.

"We played the last 10 games of the year like we were in the playoffs because we couldn't afford to lose one game," said Vancouver goaltender Dan Cloutier, who was spectacular once again with 34 saves. "We've just carried that over to the playoffs."

Todd Bertuzzi, Andrew Cassels, Scott Lachance, Markus Naslund and Matt Cook scored for the Canucks, who will play host to Game 3 on Sunday night.

Vancouver, which never trailed, put the game away on Naslund's goal with 1:52 left in the game to make it 4-2. Cook added an empty-net goal moments later as the disgruntled crowd of 20,058 was already filing out of Joe Louis Arena.

Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman each had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which has lost six straight playoff games.

Yzerman, playing on a sore right knee, gave the home team hope at 10:33 of the final period when he cut the Red Wings' deficit to 3-2 with a power-play goal.

But the Canucks would not be denied, even against one of the best goalies in the world.

Dominik Hasek played his second straight lackluster game, stopping just 15 shots for the Red Wings. Like Game 1, some of the Canucks' goals came on deflections.

"I don't want to talk about bounces," Hasek said. "I don't look for excuses. I didn't play well, no doubt.

"It doesn't feel good at all."

The Red Wings were booed, cheered sarcastically and even offered suggestions by their red-clad rabid fans.

"As long as our fans are making noise, good or bad, we appreciate it," Yzerman said.

A raucous crowd turned quiet when the Canucks took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, soon after Detroit failed to score on its second power-play opportunity.

Bertuzzi stuffed a loose puck into the net after Morrison's slap shot trickled through Hasek's glove.

At 7:08 of the second period, Vancouver went ahead 2-0 when Cassels redirected Ed Jovanovski's shot between Hasek's legs.

Hasek, the six-time Vezina Trophy winner and two-time league MVP who made just 22 saves in the 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1, was then the target of sarcastic cheers when he made an easy save.

Then the crowd turned against the rest of the team by chanting "Shoot the puck!, Shoot the puck!" -- because of their apparent desire for the perfect play, instead of just shooting. And it seemed to work.

Detroit pulled within a goal at 10:30 of the second period when Lidstrom scored on a wrist shot.

"People here want the team to win and to do well," Yzerman said. "The thing is, we know when to shoot the puck."

Less than three minutes later, the Canucks went ahead 3-2.

Lachance scored when his lifted shot -- from well beyond the left circle -- was deflected off of Detroit's Brett Hull.

Morrison said the Canucks would not shed their cool-and-calm attitudes once they left the arena Friday night.

"We know it's far from over," he said. "By no means are we going to be jumping up and down any time soon."

Notes: After being held pointless in Game 1, Vancouver's top line of Bertuzzi, Morrison and Naslund combined for two goals and three assists. ... Morrison, a collegiate star at Michigan, had two assists. ... Vancouver coach Marc Crawford, a former Colorado coach, is 8-6 vs Bowman in the playoffs. ... Detroit got just five shots off on its first three power plays and finished 1-for-5 on the power play while Vancouver was 0-for-1 with an extra man. ... Cassels is the only player in the series with two goals.

 

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