Vancouver Canucks' goalie Roberto Luongo allows a goal to Detroit Red Wings' Daniel Cleary, not pictured, during the third period of an NHL game in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday March 16, 2013.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader both scored two goals as the Detroit Red Wings downed the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Saturday night.
Zetterberg's goals were his first in 11 games. He had not scored since Detroit's 8-3 blowout of Vancouver in the Motor City on Feb. 24.
Daniel Cleary also scored for the Red Wings (14-10-5) as they posted their second road win in two nights.
Alex Burrows scored both of Vancouver's goals. His first, which came just six seconds into the contest, was the fastest game-opening goal in Canucks history.
Vancouver outshot Detroit 35-26. The Wings went 1 for 3 on the power play while the Canucks were blanked on six man-advantage opportunities.
The Canucks lost for the first time in three games as they were denied in their quest to avenge an 8-3 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit on Feb. 24.
Burrows opened the scoring following the opening face-off as he took a cross-ice pass from Daniel Sedin and wired the puck just inside the post behind Jimmy Howard from the top of the right face-off circle. The goal was the first for Burrows in 11 games.
He broke Trevor Linden's previous record for Vancouver's fastest game-opening goal — nine seconds — set against Anaheim on Jan. 16, 1994. The goal was the fourth-fastest in NHL history.
But the Canucks generated few dangerous opportunities afterwards, despite outshooting Detroit by a wide margin in the first 30 minutes.
Abdelkader created a 1-1 tie at 6:08 of the first period as Pavel Datsyuk's pass went in off his skate.
Burrows had another excellent scoring chance with just under nine minutes left in the opening period, but Howard came across his crease and made a diving glove save as the Vancouver winger one-timed a Jannik Hansen pass from the opposite post.
The Canucks lost winger David Booth to a leg injury in the final minute of the first period as he raced to the puck in the Detroit corner to beat an icing call. He got the puck in time, but he was checked into the boards and wound up under a pile of players.
He could not put any weight on his left leg as he glided off the ice, and did not return for the start of the second period.
The Canucks ran into penalty trouble in the second period as a Burrows high-sticking penalty nullified a Vancouver power play and Max Lapierre's subsequent tripping penalty gave the Wings a two-man advantage for a minute and 16 seconds.
Burrows had a chance to make up for his miscue as he had a breakaway coming out of the penalty box, but he lost control of the puck as Datsyuk was catching up to him.
With Lapierre still in the penalty box, Zetterberg fired in a pass from Datsyuk to culminate some tic-tac-toe pass that Johan Franzen began from behind the Vancouver net.
Jannik Hansen had a chance to draw the Canucks even on a penalty shot about three minutes later, after he was hauled down on a breakaway by Abdelkader. But the Canucks winger clanked his shot off the corner of the post and crossbar after beating Howard.
Zetterberg increased Detroit's lead to 3-1 just 1:20 into the third period as he whipped Valtteri Filppula's pass behind Roberto Luongo on a two-on-two with Vancouver defenceman Kevin Bieksa rushing to get back after he was caught out of position.
Cleary widened the gap with a wrist shot from the slot about four and a half minutes later. He also scored for the first time since the previous contest with the Canucks, thanks to some more nice passing, from Joakim Andersson and Fabien Brunner.
Vancouver had a two-man advantage for a minute 20 seconds, but could not get any closer on the scoreboard as its power play continues to struggle.
Abdelkader scored his second goal of the night at 14:44 of the third period as he jammed the puck past Luongo. The goal was awarded after it looked like Luongo had kept the puck out, but a video review showed it crossed the goal-line.
Burrows scored his second goal as he backhanded in his own rebound just under three minutes remaining in the game. The goals were also his first in 11 games.
Notes: Earlier Saturday, the Canucks signed Kellan Lain, a six-foot-six, 220-pound centre out of Lake Superior State. The 23-year-old Oakville, Ont., native recorded 16 points (8-8-16) and 111 penalty minutes in 32 games during his third and final collegiate season. ... Detroit winger Patrick Eaves played his 400th NHL game. ... The Canucks wore Vancouver Millionaires replica jerseys in honour of the team that toiled between 1912 and 1922 in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. ... The Red Wings have lost defenceman Kyle Quincey indefinitely to a fractured cheekbone suffered Friday in Edmonton. Ian White took his place in the lineup. ... Booth needs one more point for 200 in his career. ... Vancouver winger Zack Kassian sat out with a recurring lower-back injury that flared up Friday and bothered him again Saturday.