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CANUCKS 4, Canadiens 1
Kariya pots career first in win
VANCOUVER (CP) -- He has some catching up to do in the goal-scoring department, but Steve Kariya couldn't wait to get on the phone Saturday night to brother Paul.
"He's been great to me," the Vancouver Canucks rookie winger said of his older superstar sibbling with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks after scoring his first NHL goal in a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
"He's been a great role model. I hope I get to talk to him tonight. It's very special for me."
Kariya's goal in the final seconds of the second period was the back-breaker for the Canadiens as it staked Vancouver to a 3-0 lead.
Kariya said he had a premonition the goal, a quick release that beat goalie Jose Theodore, would come Saturday.
"Yeah, the last two games I've had a lot of chances. (Linemates Andrew Cassels and Alex Mogilny) have been passing great. They've been patient and I just wanted to get it in there.
"It's definitely a good feeling," Kariya said, rolling the souvenir puck over in his hand. "I just want to move forward and improve as much as I can."
Todd Bertuzzi, Bill Muckalt and Harry York, with his second in three games, also scored for Vancouver.
Miroslav Guren ruined Garth Snow's shutout bid with his first NHL goal with less than seven minutes left.
"He's a guy who's going to score if he continues to be a guy that shoots and gets himself in position to shoot," Vancouver coach Marc Crawford said of Kariya.
The Canucks have opened the season 3-0-0 against teams that missed the playoffs last spring. They can match their best start to a campaign since 1992 with a victory Wednesday over the Calgary Flames.
"Sure, it's time to get a little bit excited," said Crawford. "But we're not getting carried away with ourselves.
"We know we've got a long way to go. We know we've got to continue paying attention to the details that are making us successful."
Snow, making his first start after a groin injury kept him on injured reserve for the first two games, was solid, making 27 saves as he came out repeatedly to cut down angles.
"They did a good job keeping them to the outside and I really didn't have to make any big saves," he said of his defencemen. "We're definitely playing smarter."
Montreal coach Alain Vignault, whose 1-3-0 club was playing its third game in four nights, said Vancouver's transition game was the difference as the Canucks outshot the Habs 35-28.
"They worked hard and had a great transition game and they used their speed," Vignault said.
"(Goalie Jose) Theodore kept it close and our lack of execution up front made Snow -- I don't want to downplay his game -- made him look good tonight."
Bertuzzi's goal was memorable for the big winger who missed the final 31 games last season with a broken leg. He stickhandled through two Montreal defenders and faked Theodore to the ice before tucking the puck home.
"Mentally, for me it was a long thing coming," Bertuzzi said. "I worked my tail off last summer to get to the position that I'm in.
"I knew it was just a matter of time before things started coming around ... and breaking loose."
Notes: The game was preceded by a ceremony honouring the 30 prominent players, owners, coaches and broadcasters from the Canucks' first three NHL decades. ... Montreal defenceman Craig Rivet returned home after suffering a broken cheekbone in a fight in the Habs' victory Friday over Calgary ... Alain Nasreddine was recalled from Quebec to replace Rivet but didn't play Saturday ... nine-year veteran Trent Klatt was assigned to the Canucks' AHL farm club in Syracuse.
Summary
----------------------------- Montreal 0 0 1--1 Vancouver 1 2 1--4 ----------------------------- FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Vancouver, T Bertuzzi 1 (Scatchard, Hawgood), 4:28. Penalties: Bouillon, Mon (tripping), 15:16. SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Vancouver, Muckalt 1 (power play) (Joseph, M Naslund), 2:45. 3, Vancouver, Kariya 1 (Cassels), 19:41. Penalties: Koivu, Mon (interference), 1:04; M Naslund, Van (interference), 4:12; Asham, Mon (Obstr holding), 7:47; Brashear, Van (goalie interference), 13:37; Weinrich, Mon (holding stick), 14:33. THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Vancouver, York 2 (D Bodger, Schaefer), 11:35. 5, Montreal, Guren 1 (power play) (Linden, Rucinsky), 12:28. Penalties: Brashear, Van (Obstr tripping), 1:29; Richter, Mon ( double high sticking minor), 5:25; Hawgood, Van (hooking), 11:49. Shots on goal: --------------------------------- Montreal 7 9 11--27 Vancouver 12 13 11--36 --------------------------------- Power-play Conversions: Mon - 1 of 4, Van - 1 of 6. Goalies: Montreal, Theodore (36 shots, 32 saves; record: 0-1-0). Vancouver, Snow (27, 26; record: 1-0-0). A:16,601. Referee: Gregson. Linesmen: Gibbs, Sharrers.
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