The Vancouver Canucks improved to 5-0 against Eastern Conference opponents after a 5-2 shelling of the New Jersey Devils and a 3-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The game against the Devils was dubbed the 'battle of Team Canada goaltenders', as Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo faced-off in a rare matchup. If that was the case, Roberto Luongo will have the upper-hand as he simply outplayed Brodeur in what was expected to be a low scoring game, but started with a five goal 1st period.
Keeping up with his stellar play, Luongo shutout the struggling Flyers 24 hours later as the Canucks won 3-0. Willie Mitchell, Jannik Hansen and Christian Ehrhoff scored for Vancouver, who continue their road trip on Saturday in Carolina against the basement-dwelling Carolina Hurricanes. Andrew Raycroft is expected to get the nod in Raleigh.
Our take: I was quite weary of this road trip but the 2-0 start has been a welcome surprise. The Canucks seem to be reeling now after getting some of their injured players back, and Luongo seems to be getting back to his elite status. It's usually around this time of year that he goes on a 2 week run where he is as stingy as any goalie in the league. If Vancouver can ride him throughout this road-trip and the Canucks can come out of it with a strong record - they should be able to get right back into the playoff picture in the West. Vancouver just needs Calgary to go on a small losing streak so we can make up some points in the division and get back into the hunt.
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