The silent partner on the Vancouver's highest-scoring forward line is playing better than ever despite wearing a full facemask after losing several teeth.
Brendan Morrison never seems to receive the same plaudits as high-scoring linemates Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi, but nevertheless he's a key contributor as the Canucks continue to surge forward in the Western Conference.
Morrison had a goal and three assists last night when the Canucks stretched their unbeaten string to 13 games, including nine wins, by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-2 before another sellout at GM Place.
Since losing four upper teeth -- Morrison was high-sticked by Detroit's Brendan Shanahan, without a penalty call -- he has produced eight points in four games, including two game-winning goals.
Morrison would have had a third successive winner against Columbus, had the Canucks not given up a goal to Geoff Sanderson on a power play in the third period.
Naslund got his 39th and 40th goals of the season, the most in the National Hockey League, as the Canucks won their fourth in a row and stayed within two points of leading Dallas in the Western Conference.
Bertuzzi added two goals to send Columbus to its fifth consecutive defeat as the Jackets fell to 7-21-3-1 on the road. By contrast, the Canucks are an NHL-best 20-7-4 away from home.
The Canucks returned from a four-game road swing through three time zones to find centre Henrik Sedin couldn't play because of a hand injury suffered Saturday in Edmonton. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime against the Oilers on Morrison's rebound goal.
Morrison was one of three Vancouver players to score in the opening period against Columbus after the Canucks started slowly and had to rely on the netminding of Dan Cloutier in the early going.
Cloutier denied Columbus rookie Rick Nash from the slot and the Canucks killed two penalties before getting their skating legs.
Mats Lindgren, an outstanding penalty killer, notched Vancouver's 11th short-handed marker of the season at 9:54 after a drop pass by Trevor Linden inside the Columbus blueline. Lindgren's high shot appeared to change direction slightly after hitting the stick of the Blue Jackets' Ray Whitney.
Morrison produced his 17th goal of the season when he deflected a point shot from Marek Malik, which in turn bounced into the net off the leg of Columbus defender Luke Richardson at 13:59.
Only 43 seconds later, Bertuzzi got the third Vancouver goal with a powerful move in the slot. Bertuzzi took a pass from Morrison and, when hooked and losing balance, went to his backhand to shovel the puck past beleaguered Jackets netminder Marc Denis.
Vancouver increased its lead to four goals early in the second period while both teams were a man short. Canucks defenceman Mattias Ohlund made a dashing rush and, after some confusion in front of the Columbus net, Trevor Letowski ripped a shot through a screen at 2:55 for his first goal since Jan. 16.
The frustrated Blue Jackets finally scored on their fifth power play of the contest midway through the second. Espen Knutsen neatly first-timed a cross-ice pass from Ray Whitney at 11:27, giving Whitney his 32nd power-play point of the season, third best in the league behind Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux and Naslund.
It was the first goal by the Blue Jackets in three games after they were shut out in San Jose and Anaheim earlier in the road trip.
Cloutier had little chance on Knutsen's shot, but earned a loud ovation when he denied Sanderson after the speedy winger broke into the clear behind the Vancouver defence later in the second.
There was a 10-minute delay in the first period when a panel of glass shattered in the Vancouver zone after Columbus centre Tyler Wright checked Canucks winger Darren Langdon into the seamless frame, sending a shower of broken glass into the crowd.
Langdon later got into a spirited fight with the feisty Richardson after a high hit on Ohlund by Mike Sillinger of the Blue Jackets. The game was particularly chippy at times after Vancouver led 4-0.