Oct 12, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis (2) and goaltender Roberto Luongo (1) react to a goal on a power play against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Roberto Luongo. Admit it, you just did “LU-ON-GO” in your head. After all the drama and disaster over the Luongo / Cory Schneider goalie mess, the Canucks surprised us all but trading Schneider to the New Jersey Devils at last year’s draft. The Canucks had their goalie (even though it was the one they were trying to get rid of for a couple of seasons) and they were ready for the season. Luongo always seems to have the worst possible luck at the most inconvenient time, and last night was no exception. This accidental goal set the tone for Vancouver’s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. (SB Nation)
There was that low growl a lot of us made when Tyler Seguin notched a four point game against the Winnipeg Jets the other day. As he was the crux of the trade that netted us Loui Eriksson, we were really hoping for a solid performance from the Swedish winger in order to salve our egos and hope that Peter Chiarelli had once again done right by Bruins Nation. Well, thankfully Eriksson scored the go-ahead goal in last night’s 3-1 win over Columbus and chose a great time to get his first point for Boston. (NBC Sports)
Are there any bright spots in the current track record of the Florida Panters? Tim Thomas is hurt, their other goalies are sieves, and they’re poised to have some of the worst fan turnouts in the NHL. However, our friends over at the Hat Trick want to let Panthers fans that there is some form of hope and happiness down the road for the franchise. (The Rat Trick)
While there is hope down the road for the Panthers, things have gone from bad to worse to Shakespearean for the Buffalo Sabres. Our comrades at Sabre Noise do an autopsy on their latest defeat and try to assure the faithful that they really can’t be THAT doomed. (Although a little divine intervention at this point could really help.) (Sabre Noise)
Last night, Claude Julien shuffled up the deck and moved Reilly Smith up to the second line, and Brad Marchand down to third. That switch netted an assist for Smith on Eriksson’s go-ahead goal. Our friends…allies….co-workers over at A Winning Habit are showing us that Julien and Habs coach Michel Therrian are taking a page out of the same book (A Winning Habit)