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HALIFAX — You know you're in trouble when the scoreboard says your opposition has scored more goals than you have shots.
But there it was early in the third period: Canada 10, Germany 0 – with 9 German shots on the Canadian goal.
And it seemed only appropriate that when Germany finally got a goal up on the board it, too, was scored by a Canadian – defenceman Dan Hamhuis deflecting a German pass into his own net.
“Too big, too strong, too good,” was how Germany's Marco Sturm summed up his team's 10-1 loss to a suddenly explosive Team Canada.
“Right from the first minute to the last they were just too strong for us.”
It was such a dominating show by Team Canada – led this time by the line of Eric Staal, Martin St. Louis and Derek Roy – that it was reminiscent of lopsided Canadian wins in the distant past, though not quite the 47-0 victory over little Denmark back in 1949.
Staal called his night a “breakthrough” for his line, and it included a five-point performance by him (four goals, one assist) as well as by St. Louis (five assists). Roy had a goal and an assist and easily his best game of the World Championships.
“Tonight was one of those nights where the puck was finding my stick,” said a relieved Staal who, his coaches say, had been putting more and more pressure on himself to score.
The five-point performances by the two linemates came within a single point of the modern record for Canadian teams in international hockey. Eric Lindros had six points on two separate occasions while playing for Canada.
“We got a bunch of big lines,” said Roy, referring to the so-called “Big Line” of Rick Nash, Ryan Getzlaf and Dany Heatley that had carried Team Canada through its first three wins of the tournament.
This night the Big Line struck only once – a goal by Heatley when he blew around the German defence and buried his own rebound. There was no need of them to deliver anything more.
Jason Spezza, the struggling centre, also had a bit of a breakthrough, scoring Canada's first goal when he took a pass from Jason Chimera and slowed matters down until German goaltender Dimitrij Kotschnew overcommitted and Spezza had the opening he was waiting for.
Kotschnew was pulled once Germany had fallen behind 4-0 after only one period, but his replacement, Robert Muller fared no better, allowing six more goals before Canada let up in the third.
Total shots were 42-18 in Canada's favour, but the more telling story was in the play of the Germans.
After several years of giving Canada fits with their obsessively defensive play – including a near scare in Salt Lake City when the Canadians prevailed only 3-2 – the Germans were completely ineffective this night and, when scoring was needed, unable to break out of their trap system.
While the 9,182 in attendance loudly cheered the Canadian victory at the end, they could not have been pleased with the low standard of play shown by the Germans.
“We were outmatched in every aspect,” said German coach and former NHLer Uwe Krupp.
“It was a sobering experience.”
Canadian coach Ken Hitchcock, on the other hand, was delighted with what he saw, particularly in the spreading out of the scoring. All four lines contributed, with other Canadian goals going to Patrick Sharp, Jamal Mayers and Mike Green. Mayers' goal came shorthanded, when the German goaltender Muller misplayed the puck behind his own net and Mayers was able to pick it off and shovel it into the empty German net.
Germany scored its only goal when Green got caught up ice and the Germans had a three-on-one break with only Hamhuis back.
Hamhuis played the pass, which the Germans attempted, but the puck hit his stick and slipped in behind goaltender Cam Ward, who otherwise would have had a shutout. Germany's Frank Hordler was given credit for the goal.
“Everything we shot went in the net,” said Hitchcock.
Including at their own net.
“We played a very powerful game today,” Hitchcock added. “We needed that.
“We're starting to kick in on more cylinders now.
“Hopefully, [it's] the start of putting together the complete package – we're going to need it.”
Canada's next game is against Finland on Monday.
“It's going to be a lot harder game,” predicted St. Louis.
It certainly couldn't be any easier than this one was.
