Canucks enjoy Duck hunt
Canadian Press
12/28/2002
VANCOUVER (CP) - The Vancouver Canucks made sure Dan Cloutier had an easy time between the pipes in his first game back from a knee strain.
Todd Bertuzzi scored his first of two goals just 43 seconds into the game and linemate Markus Naslund added a goal and two assists in a 7-3 win over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Saturday.
The seven goals were a season-high for Vancouver.
?What can I say about the guys when they score seven goals? It makes my job a lot easier,'' said Cloutier, who made 22 saves after missing four games with the injury.
?Everyone played well tonight. The first line, the fourth line, everyone chipped in so it was a really big team win for us.''
Trent Klatt, who hadn't scored in his previous 16 outings, also had two goals for the Canucks (22-10-5-0), who climb back into a tie for first overall with Ottawa and Detroit. Mats Lindgren and Matt Cooke rounded out the scoring.
Canucks defenceman Ed Jovanovski, who had a pair of assists, left the game in the third period with a bruised heel. When asked if it would keep him out of their New Year's Eve game against Toronto, Jovanovski replied, ?I hope not.''
Patric Kjellberg, Pavel Trnka and Steve Rucchin scored for the Ducks (15-12-6-3).
Star winger Paul Kariya played despite the sudden death of his father, Tetsuhiko, on Friday night. Kariya, a native of North Vancouver, was questionable for the game but decided to play, a team spokesman said. He finished the night with an assist.
?I don't know how he did it,'' said Kariya's teammate, Adam Oates. ?It must have been very, very hard. We all respect his wishes. I said to him, `I know what my father means to me.' I can only imagine what he's going through.
?He wanted to play and we respected his wishes.''
Jean-Sebastien Giguere was pulled after stopping just six of nine shots in the first period. Replacement Martin Gerber didn't fare much better, however, allowing four more goals on 20 shots.
The Canucks took the early lead on a play that started when Anaheim defenceman Kurt Sauer caught an edge and fell to the ice while trying to fetch a loose puck behind the net. Naslund pounced on the puck and fed it out front to Bertuzzi, who put it past Giguere.
Anaheim quickly tied it up, when Kjellberg scored from the top of the faceoff circle with his team short-handed.
Klatt and Trnka exchanged goals before Lindgren scored to give Vancouver a 3-2 lead with under three minutes to go in the first period.
?You never want to go that long between games without scoring,'' Klatt said of his scoring drought. ?It starts to wear on you after a while. But you just keep plugging along and hope that, sooner or later, the law of averages goes on your side.''
Gerber replaced Giguere to start the second but the goaltending change didn't help as the Canucks scored on their first two shots of the period.
Naslund scored on the power play at 1:02 when he snapped a wrist shot over Gerber's shoulder. Then, Cooke scored shorthanded while on a 2-on-1 rush with Murray Baron.
Penalty troubles cost the Ducks later in the frame. First, Kariya was sent to the box for high sticking Naslund. On the ensuing faceoff, Naslund was high-sticked again, this time by Sauer. Klatt scored his second of the game, a tip-in of Brent Sopel's point shot, just one second after the second penalty expired to give Vancouver a 6-2 lead.
Bertuzzi scored Vancouver's seventh-goal with a slapshot outside the faceoff circle midway through the third period.
Rucchin scored at 12:39.
?We were pretty good offensively tonight but, at the same time, fortunate,'' said Canucks head coach Marc Crawford. ?I don't think either of their goaltenders had outstanding efforts. Sometimes you catch a team like that.
?I'm not taking anything away from our offensive talent ... but when you get as many chances like we did tonight then you're going to score some goals.''
Notes: This was Klatt's first two-goal game since March 18, 2001. ... Both Linden (eye) and Ohlund (knee sprain, flu) returned to the lineup after missing four games. Each picked up an assist. .q.q. Lindgren, who hadn't scored in his first 17 games with the Canucks, now has goals in two straight games.
Cheers,
Aquaman