DETROIT, April 25 (UPI) -- Sergei Fedorov had a pair of goals and an assist in a four-goal first period Thursday night and Dominik Hasek recorded his seventh career playoff shutout to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks and a three games to two lead in their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
The Red Wings left Joe Louis Arena to a chorus of boos last Friday after losing the first two games to the eighth-seeded Canucks. But after they bounced back and won the next two in Vancouver to even the series, Canucks General Manager Brian Burke tried to change the momentum by criticizing the officials.
When the Canucks arrived Thursday for Game 5, Burke said:
"Even though we're just a little Canadian team, we deserve a level playing field. We haven't gotten one and we're sick of it."
Referees Brad Watson and Dan Marouelli obliged, providing the Canucks with four straight power-play opportunities bridging the first and second period. But it did not matter because Hasek played up to his nickname of "The Dominator," Fedorov was the best player on the ice and defensemen Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom again stifled Vancouver's top line of Markus Naslund-Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison.
Fedorov scored the first goal of the game on the power-play, firing a rebound from the high slot past goaltender Dan Cloutier 4:02 into the game.
Hasek preserved the lead when he stoned Morrison from in front with 14:19 left in the first period.
After Vancouver was given its third straight penalty, Mathieu Dandenault took a pass from Fedorov and beat Cloutier through the five-hole from the lower right faceoff circle for a shorthanded goal with 6:25 remaining.
Brett Hull recorded his first point of he series when his blast from the right side went off Cloutier's chest and caromed to Boyd Devereaux, who fired the rebound into the net to increase the lead to 3-0 with 4:28 left.
Desperate to shift the momentum in the raucous building, Canucks coach Marc Crawford lifted Cloutier, who gave up three goals on nine shots.
But Fedorov scored his second goal of the game, victimizing backup goalie Peter Skudra with a one-handed shot from the right side of the net off a pass from Hull with 1:29 remaining in the period.
Game 6 will be played in Vancouver Saturday night.
