Cloutier gets his groove back
Ian MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun
CANADA.COM
DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings hit four posts Sunday and none of them was Marek Malik, the beanpole defenceman who wobbled through the entire Wings' roster to set up the clinching goal in an outstanding 4-1 victory by the Vancouver Canucks.
It was a dragon-slaying weekend for the Canucks, whose win here was their first in the regular season since 1997. Including Friday's 4-2 triumph in Chicago, the Canucks got two victories in buildings which had seen them win only once in their previous 24 games.
Canuck goalie Dan Cloutier was superb, making 30 saves while his posts rang like victory bells. The game was worth celebrating.
It allowed the Canucks, knocked out of the playoffs by the Red Wings last April, to pass Detroit in the National Hockey League standings.
"Our goalie was really good tonight," Canuck coach Marc Crawford said. "That was his best game in a while. That just gives everyone around him so much confidence. His play inspired the rest of the group."
Cloutier, who struggled for most of January to produce game-altering saves, made several key ones after Tomas Holmstrom blew a slapshot past him 3:20 into the contest.
Cloutier stopped Henrik Zetterberg and Holmstrom point-blank, got in front of Darren McCarty's one-timer and made a brilliant rebound save on Red Wing defenceman Dmitri Bykov late in the second period while the Canucks led 3-1.
He stopped Holmstrom on a breakaway late in the third period and on the penalty shot that followed -- Canuck defenceman Murray Baron hooked Holmstrom -- heard his goal post ring for the fourth time.
"You know when you get a couple of those in one night that maybe the puck is going to bounce your way," Cloutier said. "I felt pretty good. Last game, too. I knew if I kept working, it was going to turn around."
Cloutier was the most spectacular player, but Malik made the most spectacular play.
The 6'5" defensive defenceman knocked down a punt at centre ice, then chased the puck through four Red Wings, galloping like a giraffe on the Serengeti until he found himself in a 2-on-0 breakaway. He slipped the puck to Canuck Matt Cooke, who scored past goalie Curtis Joseph to make it 4-1 at 7:20 of the third period.
"[Assistant coach] Jack McIlhargey was calling him Yao Ming," Crawford said. "It was a pretty funny goal to watch. Sometimes that happens."
It might happen again in another decade or so.
"It was kind of lucky," Malik said. "Kind of everything opened up."
Malik tossed the puck between Sergei Fedorov and another Red Wing forward at centre ice, then sidestepped defenceman Jason Woolley while Mathieu Dandenault tripped over the blueline.
"I can honestly say I didn't think he was going to pass," Cooke said.
"I was just going for the rebound. I didn't call for it or anything."
Malik's contribution is indicative of the scoring boost the Canucks are suddenly getting from their defence, which struggled initially to fill the offensive void caused by the injury three weeks ago to No. 1 defenceman Ed Jovanovski.
Defencemen Bryan Allen and Sami Salo scored against the Red Wings. Brent Sopel and Murray Baron scored in Chicago.
"We've been talking about that all year long," Salo said. "Games are so tight checking, you need secondary scoring from the back end. You need guys joining the rush and a good example tonight was Ally jumping up."
Except for Holmstrom's breaks, all the out-numbered rushes went to the Canucks.
"They started off flying," Naslund said. "First 10 minutes we had a tough time, but after that we picked it up. Halfway through the game I thought we had everything under control.
"It shows we're growing as a team and learning to play the best teams."