DETROIT — The Vancouver Canucks were not giddy, they weren't even smiling after beating what's been regarded as the greatest show on ice.
Five players scored for the eighth-seeded Canucks in Friday night's 5-2 victory that gave them a sweep of the two games in Detroit over the team that easily had the NHL's best record in the regular season.
While the Red Wings have looked as if they're playing with all of the pressure that comes with Stanley Cup expectations, the Canucks have been playing as if they've done this before.
"Maybe we don't know any better," Vancouver's Brendan Morrison said.
After winning their first playoff game since 1996 in Wednesday's Game 1, the Canucks have now won two straight for the first time in seven years.
The start to the best-of-seven first-round series has mirrored the end of the regular season: Detroit won only one of its final 10 games, while the Canucks were 8-0-1 in their last nine.
"We played the last 10 games of the year like we were in the playoffs because we couldn't afford to lose one game," said Vancouver goaltender Dan Cloutier, who was spectacular once again with 34 saves. "We've just carried that over to the playoffs."
Todd Bertuzzi, Andrew Cassels, Scott Lachance, Markus Naslund and Matt Cook scored for the Canucks, who will play host to Game 3 on Sunday night.
Vancouver, which never trailed, put the game away on Naslund's goal with 1:52 left in the game to make it 4-2. Cook added an empty-net goal moments later as the disgruntled crowd of 20,058 was already filing out of Joe Louis Arena.
Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman each had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which has lost six straight playoff games.
Yzerman, playing on a sore right knee, gave the home team hope at 10:33 of the final period when he cut the Red Wings' deficit to 3-2 with a power-play goal.
But the Canucks would not be denied, even against one of the best goalies in the world.
Dominik Hasek played his second straight lackluster game, stopping just 15 shots for the Red Wings. Like Game 1, some of the Canucks' goals came on deflections.
The Red Wings were booed, cheered sarcastically and even offered suggestions by their red-clad rabid fans.
"As long as our fans are making noise, good or bad, we appreciate it," Yzerman said.
HURRICANES 2, DEVILS 1 (OT): At Raleigh, N.C., Bates Battaglia scored the game-winner 15:26 into overtime and rookie Erik Cole had his second goal in as many games as Carolina went up 2-0 in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Battaglia's first career playoff goal came off a backhanded tip after defenseman Marek Malik held in an attempted clearing play by the Devils.
The Devils, the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions, are down 0-2 in a first-round series for the first time since 1993.