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Marie-Philip Poulin celebrates scoring the fifth goal with teammates on Saturday. Poulin scored late in the third period on a feed from Sarah Fillier, giving her 18 career goals at the Olympics.David W Cerny/Reuters
Marie-Philip Poulin returned to the ice at the Olympics on Saturday with all eyes on her injured right leg as Canada faced Germany in the quarter-finals.
While she took some time to find her stride, Poulin made history in a 5-1 win over Germany, scoring late in the third period on a feed from Sarah Fillier. It was her 18th career goal at the Olympics, tying former teammate Hayley Wickenheiser for the most in history.
Canada advanced to Monday’s semi-final with the win, with its opponent still to be determined. But the focus of the game was less on the scoreboard than it was on the return of the Canadian captain.
The game was a litmus test for Poulin, who missed the last two games with an apparent injured right knee. If Canada is to have any hope of challenging the high-powered Americans for the gold medal, it will need Poulin at her absolute best.
Early on, Poulin seemed to be favouring the leg, labouring slightly on sharp turns and quick transitions in the neutral zone. A hard backcheck in the first period was her first real moment of truth.
“I didn’t like the fact that we had that turnover and she had to get back because that really tested her leg,” head coach Troy Ryan said. “I think she forgot about the injury on that one and just kind of went for it. But I thought she looked good.”
But as the game wore on, playing on a loaded top line with Fillier and Daryl Watts, Poulin seemed to gain speed.
Midway through the second period, Poulin streaked down the right side and made a cross-ice pass to Watts, who quickly fed it back. Sidestepping a sprawling German defender, Poulin was unable to complete the give-and-go into an open net. But the speed of their attack, and Poulin’s command of the play, may have eased some of the concerns Ryan had heading into the game.
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Poulin said later she felt good.
“The first couple of shifts, for sure, you just want to get your legs under you and not overthink things. But happy with how it felt and looking forward to it getting better,” she said.
Poulin was injured in the first period of Canada’s second game in Milan, a 5-1 win over Czechia, when she was hit hard into the boards and twisted her leg as she fell to the ice.
The hit drew a penalty, and Poulin tried to play the ensuing power play, but skated to the bench mid-shift, holding her right skate aloft as she entered the bench.
It was a crushing loss for Canada. Poulin, nicknamed Captain Clutch for her propensity to score key goals at the Olympics, is also a veteran presence on the Canadian bench.
When Canada played the favoured United States a few days ago without Poulin, the Americans dominated the game, winning 5-0. The decisive American victory left lingering doubts as to what impact Poulin would have had if she was healthy, but one thing remains clear: Canada can’t afford to have her out of the lineup if these two teams meet in the final, as they typically do at the Olympics.
Ryan said Poulin’s return wasn’t decided until a pre-game meeting, after team doctors cleared her to play and Poulin told him she wanted to go back in the lineup.
Before her goal Saturday, Poulin had only managed an assist in the tournament, which came in Canada’s 4-0 opening win over Switzerland.
As Poulin tried to find her stride, Canada leaned on other scorers for most of the game against Germany.
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Brianne Jenner of Canada scores their first goal past Sandra Abstreiter of Germany at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Saturday.David W Cerny/Reuters
Less than two minutes into the game, Emma Maltais fed a pass to Brianne Jenner in front of the net, which she redirected past German goaltender Sandra Abstreiter, putting Canada up by a goal early.
Claire Thompson scored late in the period, with an assist from Kristin O’Neill, to take a two-goal lead.
“We definitely missed her a lot,” Thompson said of Poulin. “She’s a huge presence both on the ice and in the locker room, and we’re just really happy that she was able to be back with us.”
Late in the second period, Fillier put Canada up by three on the power play taking a feed down low from Renata Fast and banking a sharp-angle shot off Abstreiter’s arm and into the net.
Blayre Turnbull made it 4-0 early in the third period, using linemate Laura Stacey as a decoy on a rush. Turnbull kept the puck, drove to the net and slipped the puck between the German goalie’s pads.
Germany later broke Canadian goalie Emerance Maschmeyer’s shutout midway through the third period, when Franziska Feldmeier scored on a shorthanded breakaway.
It was a historic goal of sorts, marking the first tally by Germany against Canada in women’s Olympic hockey in the first-ever meeting of these two teams at the Winter Games.
Soon after, Poulin, playing in her fifth Olympics, made history of her own with Canada’s fifth goal. Ryan struggled to contextualize the three-time gold medal winner’s impact on the women’s game.
“I’ve run out of things to say,” Ryan said. “She’s incredible; great human, great leader, incredible player. To be honest, in my head you’d almost think that was already her record, you know what I mean? So when I see that, it’s just nice that she gets to be where she belongs.”
The injury to Poulin and the lopsided loss to their American rivals in the opening round have hung over the team in Milan, bringing a different feel to the Canadian bench.
With the playoff round under way, the games now mean something. Canada must first get through the semi-finals to face the U.S. again, but with Poulin back in the lineup, the team will need to find a way to get its game back on track, with a potential rematch with the Americans looming.
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