Asking teammates to block more shots coming from the point
Roberto Luongo briskly brushed by the media mob and didn't have anything to say Wednesday. He didn't have to.
A passionate plea by the Vancouver Canucks goaltender following a bitter 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday said it all.
If the Northwest Division champions hope to stave off playoff elimination tonight at Anaheim in the Western Conference semifinal series, Luongo stressed there must be self-sacrifice.
Passing lanes must be taken away. Point shots must be blocked and bodies must be bruised. It's S.O.S time, as in Save Our Season, and it's no time for passive play.
"They were just getting the shots from the point," Luongo said following Tuesday night's painful loss at GM Place. "[Chris] Pronger's getting shots through and they have guys out front as usual. When you're trying to preserve a lead you need guys to block shots, go down and sacrifice the body sometimes so they don't get those shots and rebound opportunities.
"For us to have a chance to win, everyone has to be on their game, starting from me on up."
"He's 100-per cent right," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said of Luongo's plea. "We're having a tough time getting our shots through and our forwards have to block their shots."
Luongo is also having a tough time with the Ducks. He's 1-6 against them this season -- 0-3 in the regular season and 1-3 in the playoffs -- and has allowed 11 goals in four series games.
The playoff newcomer is a finalist for the Hart, Vezina and Lester B. Pearson awards after a stellar 47-win season, but Luongo can't beat the Ducks by himself. Especially when pucks are getting through mazes and the opposition is holding a team meeting in his crease.
Willie Mitchell blocked four shots Tuesday night and Mattias Ohlund three, while Brent Sopel and Sami Salo had two apiece. No forward had more than one.
"If Louie can't see it, obviously he's not going to stop it," said Sopel. "They [Ducks] are getting bodies to the net and we've got to knock those pucks down from the point. The forwards and defence need to do a better job."
That painful lesson was learned Tuesday. The Canucks were nursing a 2-0 lead in the third period when a harmless-looking 56-foot wrister by Ducks defenceman Pronger found its way through a crowd and surprised Luongo.
If that wasn't bad enough, Pronger then let a 12-foot wrister go and Teemu Selanne got position on Sami Salo and pounced on the bouncing rebound to force overtime.
And on the overtime winner, a 23-foot Scott Niedermayer point shot found Luongo and an unchecked Travis Moen bagged the rebound.
"The biggest thing with Pronger is when everybody says: 'Get in the lane and block the shot', from a forward's perspective, it's his long reach," said Canucks centre Brendan Morrison.
"He's not taking slapshots, he's taking wristers. Instead of scrambling to find guys, find the wrister and knock it down."
In a series where three of four games have been decided by one goal, little mistakes are adding up to big trouble.
Not forcing Pronger or Niedermayer at the point may not seem like a big deal, but giving the Norris Trophy finalists space and time is dangerous.
"Sometimes we sit back and block the shot high in the slot," said Canucks centre Josh Green. "We have to move out and take that away."
Even though Pronger appears to be ailing -- Morrison easily waltzed around the blueliner on a successful second-period charge to the net -- there's nothing wrong with his patience to find holes in coverage to thread shots to the net.
"As wingers, we have to stay closer and do a better job in our positioning," said Trevor Linden. "It's tough. They snap it through quickly and do a good job of getting through."
Added winger Alex Burrows: "They're just getting little floaters and wrist shots through with traffic. That's how they're getting second chances.
"We have to sacrifice our bodies."
Expect Luongo to do the same and keep up his end of the bargain tonight.
"He's the least of our concerns -- he'll be there," predicted Morrison.
Roberto Luongo briskly brushed by the media mob and didn't have anything to say Wednesday. He didn't have to.
A passionate plea by the Vancouver Canucks goaltender following a bitter 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday said it all.
If the Northwest Division champions hope to stave off playoff elimination tonight at Anaheim in the Western Conference semifinal series, Luongo stressed there must be self-sacrifice.
Passing lanes must be taken away. Point shots must be blocked and bodies must be bruised. It's S.O.S time, as in Save Our Season, and it's no time for passive play.
"They were just getting the shots from the point," Luongo said following Tuesday night's painful loss at GM Place. "[Chris] Pronger's getting shots through and they have guys out front as usual. When you're trying to preserve a lead you need guys to block shots, go down and sacrifice the body sometimes so they don't get those shots and rebound opportunities.
"For us to have a chance to win, everyone has to be on their game, starting from me on up."
"He's 100-per cent right," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said of Luongo's plea. "We're having a tough time getting our shots through and our forwards have to block their shots."
Luongo is also having a tough time with the Ducks. He's 1-6 against them this season -- 0-3 in the regular season and 1-3 in the playoffs -- and has allowed 11 goals in four series games.
The playoff newcomer is a finalist for the Hart, Vezina and Lester B. Pearson awards after a stellar 47-win season, but Luongo can't beat the Ducks by himself. Especially when pucks are getting through mazes and the opposition is holding a team meeting in his crease.
Willie Mitchell blocked four shots Tuesday night and Mattias Ohlund three, while Brent Sopel and Sami Salo had two apiece. No forward had more than one.
"If Louie can't see it, obviously he's not going to stop it," said Sopel. "They [Ducks] are getting bodies to the net and we've got to knock those pucks down from the point. The forwards and defence need to do a better job."
That painful lesson was learned Tuesday. The Canucks were nursing a 2-0 lead in the third period when a harmless-looking 56-foot wrister by Ducks defenceman Pronger found its way through a crowd and surprised Luongo.
If that wasn't bad enough, Pronger then let a 12-foot wrister go and Teemu Selanne got position on Sami Salo and pounced on the bouncing rebound to force overtime.
And on the overtime winner, a 23-foot Scott Niedermayer point shot found Luongo and an unchecked Travis Moen bagged the rebound.
"The biggest thing with Pronger is when everybody says: 'Get in the lane and block the shot', from a forward's perspective, it's his long reach," said Canucks centre Brendan Morrison.
"He's not taking slapshots, he's taking wristers. Instead of scrambling to find guys, find the wrister and knock it down."
In a series where three of four games have been decided by one goal, little mistakes are adding up to big trouble.
Not forcing Pronger or Niedermayer at the point may not seem like a big deal, but giving the Norris Trophy finalists space and time is dangerous.
"Sometimes we sit back and block the shot high in the slot," said Canucks centre Josh Green. "We have to move out and take that away."
Even though Pronger appears to be ailing -- Morrison easily waltzed around the blueliner on a successful second-period charge to the net -- there's nothing wrong with his patience to find holes in coverage to thread shots to the net.
"As wingers, we have to stay closer and do a better job in our positioning," said Trevor Linden. "It's tough. They snap it through quickly and do a good job of getting through."
Added winger Alex Burrows: "They're just getting little floaters and wrist shots through with traffic. That's how they're getting second chances.
"We have to sacrifice our bodies."
Expect Luongo to do the same and keep up his end of the bargain tonight.
"He's the least of our concerns -- he'll be there," predicted Morrison.
