Poulin return Canada’s biggest victory in quarterfinal win over Germany

Less than five minutes into her return to Olympic hockey, Marie-Philip Poulin picked up speed as German forward Laura Kluge took off with the puck.

A knee injury knocked the captain, Canada's heart and soul, out of the previous two games.

Her return came after an agonizing few days. One was spent high above the ice, watching her team suffer its worst loss at the Olympics yet at the hands of the U.S., her face a portrait of anguish.

"It's hard to watch from the stands," Poulin said.

But on Saturday, as she shut down Kluge's breakaway — with a bit of help from a high stick that didn't draw a whistle — Poulin seemed like classic Poulin.

You know her for her clutch ability in the biggest games on the grandest stages. No one has scored more golden goals than the 34-year-old from Beauceville, Que.

But Poulin is also one of the best defensive forwards on the planet. Even when she's not 100 per cent, she's a difference maker at both ends of the ice.

Poulin logged 12:41 on ice and added her first goal of the tournament in Canada's 5-1 win over Germany. With the goal, she tied retired Canadian forward Hayley Wickenheiser for the most Olympic goals in women's hockey history (18).

Head coach Troy Ryan said before the game that they'd be managing Poulin's minutes as they eased her back in. It was a taste of game action ahead of the semifinals on Monday. Canada will play the winner of Saturday afternoon's game between Finland and Switzerland, with the semifinal match-up set for Monday at 3:10 p.m. ET.

"Every time you wear that jersey...it is a privilege," Poulin told CBC Olympics reporter Claire Hanna after the game. "With this group just being back there, I missed it. It's hard to watch from the stands. Happy to be back. Obviously