The Vancouver Sun
January 3, 2003
By BRAD ZIEMER

The goal, to put it charitably, came against the run of the play.

The Montreal Canadiens had spent the previous minute buzzing all around the Vancouver net looking for the goal that would have put them ahead 2-0 midway through the second period.

The Canucks finally got the puck out of their zone and on the ensuing rush, defenceman Bryan Allen let go a feeble shot from the left point. Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore fanned on the shot -- missing it as he attempted to make a toe save on the short side -- and suddenly the Canucks had life.

Allen's goal changed the momentum of the game. The Canucks took the lead 18 seconds later when Markus Naslund drove to the net and converted a pass from behind the net by Todd Bertuzzi.

"It was kind of surprising," Allen understated after Vancouver's 3-2 win Thursday night over the Canadiens. "I just tried to make a quick play and put it on net and it just went in."

Allen now has three goals in 16 games this season. That's one more than Henrik Sedin and two more than Mattias Ohlund. Go figure.

"I didn't have a lot on it," Allen said of his shot. "I don't know how it went in."

Nor does he care, particularly. What was important for Allen was to bounce back after a sup-par outing in Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He did just that Thursday night. In addition to his goal, Allen took on Montreal's Sylvain Blouin in a first-period scrap. He and defensive partner Marek Malik both finished the night as plus-two.

Allen knows he has an opportunity right now to solidify a spot on the Canuck blue line. With Ed Jovanovski gone for at least a month with a heel injury, Allen's minutes have increased. He also knows that if he falters, Bryan Helmer is waiting in the wings to replace him.

"This is definitely a good opportunity for me and I have to try and take advantage of it," said Allen. "I thought over-all it went pretty good tonight. I wanted to bounce back from the Toronto game. I didn't think I had one of my best games and I tried to just stay positive and do the simple things."

Canuck coach Marc Crawford, who prior to the morning skate had ripped into his players for their lacklustre effort against the Leafs, sounded like he was pleased with Allen's play against the Habs.

"I thought he was better as the game went on," Crawford said. "He didn't have a particularly good game against Toronto. But you are going to make mistakes when you are a young player and you start playing a little bit more. We understand that.

"He is playing with more confidence lately and you see that in the way that he is closing on people and the way he is finishing checks. Now he is adding the dimension of making really good outlet passes and supporting the attack."

Allen, the fourth over-all pick in the 1998 entry draft, entered this season having played just 17 NHL games the previous two seasons. The 22-year-old will double that total when the Canucks entertain the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

"I think he going to be fine," said Canuck goalie Dan Cloutier. "He's got all the skill. It's just a matter of playing and getting some experience. He's big and strong and has a great shot. He clears the front of the net and blocks people out in front so the goalie can see pucks. He's a guy who doesn't have a whole lot of experience. But he played well tonight and is only going to get better."



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