Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks shut out slumping New Jersey Devils
If there’s one team that has been struggling a lot lately, it’s been the New Jersey Devils. The team has been hampered by injuries to many key players, including star forward Zach Parise,
and has also been dealing with salary cap issues. On Monday, 1 November, the Devils picked up their ninth loss of the season after being shut out 3-0 by the Vancouver Canucks.
How it happened
The Canucks got the ball rolling in the first period, with Raffi Torres scoring his third goal of the season at 13:19 with a wrist shot that beat Martin Brodeur. Manny Mahlhotra earned
his fourth assist of the season on Torres’ goal.
Vancouver struck again in the second period. Ryan Kesler used a backhand shot to find the back of the net at 1:09 of the second frame. The assists went to Mason Raymond and Mikael Samuelsson.
In the third period, newly-minted Canucks captain Henrik Sedin was awarded a penalty shot, and immediately capitalized on his opportunity. His backhander easily beat Brodeur, giving the
home team a 3-0 lead which would hold up to earn Roberto Luongo his first shutout of the season.
What they’re saying
The Devils have been struggling in many areas this season, the most noticeable of which is their inability to score goals. Head coach John MacLean says that team’s lack of scoring won’t
help them win games.
“Not scoring hurts us more than anything,” MacLean said of the Devils’ goal-scoring woes. “We need to score. We’re not scoring. That’s a tough way to win hockey games.”
Devils forward David Clarkson nearly got his team on the board during the second period, but later had his goal waved off by the referees because he had interfered with Luongo.
“It’s frustrating,” Clarkson said of New Jersey’s loss, their ninth of the season. “It’s not the way you want things to go. We’ve got to get back to playing our game. If we don’t, then
we’re in trouble. We’ve got to play the way that this team’s played for a long time.”
Kesler added that while it was good to pick up another win, he admitted that Vancouver did not bring their A-game to the rink for most of the game.
“It was good to get the win,” said Kesler. “Obviously, we didn’t have our A-game the first couple of periods, but good teams and great teams find a way to win, even when you get a little
relaxed in your own zone. We gave up a lot of scoring chances, but at the same time, Lou (Luongo) was there to stand on his hand.”
Vanvouver’s next game will be against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, 2 November, while the Devils will battle the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, 3 November.
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