The Cobra
04-23-2011, 09:10 PM
as per TSN
Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault quickly shot down any notion of a goaltending controversy following Thursday's disappointing 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 of their first-round series.
When asked if Roberto Luongo would start in Sunday's game, despite being pulled in each of the last two contests, Vigneualt offered a quick "yes" in response.
For his part; Luongo, who helped stake his team to a 3-0 series lead before the last two losses, didn't seem worried despite giving up 10 goals on his last 40 shots faced.
"You know what, I just keep doing what I've been doing all year," Luongo said. "I've been at the top of my game for the last five months...Obviously you don't lose something like that in a game or two.
"For me, nothing changes. The work is going to be there and I'm going to be focused to play the next one."
The Canucks take a 3-2 series lead back to Chicago for Game 6, and are still in a good spot but need to focus on the positive, according to Luongo.
"There's ups and downs in the playoffs. The key is, we've got to stay composed here. Obviously, you don't want to get caught in these situations but we've got to take a deep breath here and relax a little bit. I think it's a good thing we've got a couple of days to re-group here as a team and just get back to doing what we do best."
The two recent losses have caused some Canucks fans to wonder if the Blackhawks, who have eliminated Vancouver in each of the last two playoffs, have once again been able to put that doubt into Luongo's mind.
"I don't see in his head so I don't know," Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa told the Tribune. "But hopefully."
Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault quickly shot down any notion of a goaltending controversy following Thursday's disappointing 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 of their first-round series.
When asked if Roberto Luongo would start in Sunday's game, despite being pulled in each of the last two contests, Vigneualt offered a quick "yes" in response.
For his part; Luongo, who helped stake his team to a 3-0 series lead before the last two losses, didn't seem worried despite giving up 10 goals on his last 40 shots faced.
"You know what, I just keep doing what I've been doing all year," Luongo said. "I've been at the top of my game for the last five months...Obviously you don't lose something like that in a game or two.
"For me, nothing changes. The work is going to be there and I'm going to be focused to play the next one."
The Canucks take a 3-2 series lead back to Chicago for Game 6, and are still in a good spot but need to focus on the positive, according to Luongo.
"There's ups and downs in the playoffs. The key is, we've got to stay composed here. Obviously, you don't want to get caught in these situations but we've got to take a deep breath here and relax a little bit. I think it's a good thing we've got a couple of days to re-group here as a team and just get back to doing what we do best."
The two recent losses have caused some Canucks fans to wonder if the Blackhawks, who have eliminated Vancouver in each of the last two playoffs, have once again been able to put that doubt into Luongo's mind.
"I don't see in his head so I don't know," Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa told the Tribune. "But hopefully."