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Canwest News Service
Roberto Luongo versus Martin Brodeur.
It might make the marquee at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., but Luongo doesn't believe the goaltending duel Wednesday is going to have a big impact on where the Canucks and Devils wind up this NHL season and who gets the starting nod for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
"Is it really going to make a difference in the long run? I don't think so," Luongo said Monday before the Canucks left on a four-game road trip that includes stops in Philadelphia (Thursday), Carolina (Saturday) and Nashville (Dec. 8). "It's always nice to play a guy like Marty, obviously one of the best of all time. That's what gets me excited more than anything else."
With the disciplined Devils leading the NHL with just 2.08 goals against per outing, Brodeur has the statistical edge on Luongo with wins (15), goals-against average (2.05) and saves percentage (.925). Luongo is lagging behind in wins (10), GAA (2.56) and percentage (.910).
Killing them softly
Ryan Johnson was walking with a limp Monday after taking a shot off his left foot Sunday.
The bigger pain for the defensive specialist is the Canucks' penalty killing that is ranked 22nd overall and 24th on the road. If anything, the Canucks might be thinking too much about it and have even changed penalty-kill partners.
"You give a team like that [Sharks] a lot of power-play chances [five] and it wasn't like they were teeing off and it's gosh, this penalty kill has to change," Johnson said of giving up one power-play goal to the league's top team. "The best PK is a disciplined team. You want to kill two or three penalties a game, not seven or eight."
Ryan Kesler has teamed with Mason Raymond this season and admits there's an adjustment period to playing with a new penalty-kill partner.
"When you play with the same guy, it's easier," he said. "You almost know what each other is going to do and you know the reads. And you know the moves each guy is going to make."
Added winger Alex Burrows: "Sometimes there's a little confusion or you might be a step late on a read. That's what costs goals. It's important to have some chemistry on the PK."
OF NOTE — Alexandre Bolduc and Aaron Rome have been reassigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
