How's it going, Luongo?
Games played: Tied for 1st with 16.
Wins: Tied for 3rd overall with 8.
Losses: Tied for 2nd with 7.
Shots against: 6th overall with 409.
Goals Against Average: 11th overall at 2.45
Save Percentage: 20th overall at .907
Time on ice (meaningless stat): Luongo is 1st overall at 932:18
I am definitley seeing the Cujo-Syndrome in Roberto Luongo this season so far. If he doesn't face alot of shots, he doesn't seem to look sharp. Hopefully Bobby can adjust to his new easier life between the pipes in Vancouver, because the Canucks are no doubt playing pretty well defensively in front of him, generally. As a side note, Alex Auld and Ed Belfour are facing the same amount of shots per game in Florida as Luongo does in Vancouver.
Call me harsh, but I expect more from a goaltender who takes up $6 million of a team's salary, much like I think about Markus Naslund. But I would not be so harsh on him if the Canucks had a 12-4 record right now, instead of an 8-8 record. Luongo will need to steal some games soon if the Canucks won't get much scoring done, and really, he should be able to do that, given how defensive the Nucks are playing.
If Alain Vigneault goes with Luongo tonight, I think it is fair to say that he will respond well after being benched last game versus the Ducks. Luongo is a professional.
As JJ has pointed out today, we should see a bunch of juggled lines tonight, as Vigneault desperately tries to squeeze some offence out of these guys. Times could become desperate soon. The Oilers vaulted into 7th spot in the West last night with 17 points (and more goals for than Van). The Canucks are in 8th with 17 points. The surging Avalanche are in 9th with 16 points, and the Flames, who I believe will start rolling soon, are in 10th with 14 points. So the Canucks need to pick it up right about...NOW. If they lose to the Flames tonight and the Avs beat Nashville, Vancouver will be on the outside looking in for the first time all season, with Calgary breathing down their necks. Tonight's game suddenly has a ton of importance to it, doesn't it?
I still say Van wins tonight...2-1.
3 Comments:
I envisioned the team being about .500 after the first quarter of the season, and yet I'm disappointed because of what might have been. If our blue-line wasn't so decimated, and Luongo had stolen a couple of wins for us, the Canucks could easily by in second or third place in the Conference. I'm fearful that the Canucks will not go on the type of role that other teams like the Wings, Avs, Wild, etc will go on, and we'll be left in the dust.
Go Canucks Go.
Oh, and Trevor Linden rulez!
They should keep everything the way it is, defensively, and then score some goals. Sooner or later, some of these goofs should breakout, or they'll get traded.
Yeah, predicting them at .500 was a good one. Now, will they be .500 at the end of the year? That would put them in about 10th spot.
I figure they are going to need 90 points to get into the playoffs, maybe even more.
Can they get forty wins and ten ties? 40-30-12?
Yergh.
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