Music: {allcanada} Luongo, Canucks blank Devils 3-0

Monday, November 1, 2010

{allcanada} Luongo, Canucks blank Devils 3-0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—Raffi Torres (notes) and Ryan Kesler (notes) staked Vancouver to a two-goal lead early in the second period, and Roberto Luongo (notes) made 30 saves in the Canucks' 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.

Henrik Sedin (notes) rounded out the scoring on a penalty shot with 6:17 left as the Canucks, playing their first game in six days, won their third straight and improved to 5-0-1 on home ice.

Martin Brodeur (notes) finished with 20 saves for the Devils, who are off to their worst start in 27 years at 3-9-1 and last in the NHL with just seven points.

New Jersey was playing its third road game in four nights, and first since top forward Zach Parise (notes) hurt his knee Saturday in Los Angeles. Parise, who averaged more than 36 goals the past four seasons, will have exploratory arthroscopic knee surgery, a big blow to a team ranked last in the NHL with 20 goals.

Luongo wasn't tested often by a Devils team that has scored two goals or fewer in six straight games, but made an early point-blank rebound save off Devils' star Ilya Kovalchuk (notes), who was held without a point for a fourth straight game.

Luongo got a break on an apparent goal in the second period as the referee ruled David Clarkson (notes) interfered with the goaltender, penalizing the forward and waving off the goal. Luongo also was fortunate when Matt Taormina (notes) hit the post late in the second period, but made a nice glove save on Kovalchuk early in the third for his first shutout of the season, and 52nd of his career, second to Brodeur (112) among all active goalies.

Brodeur also got a couple of good breaks early, with defenseman Colin White (notes) pulling a puck off the goal line after an Alex Edler point shot bounced through him and trickled toward the net at 2:30.

And Canucks defender Christian Ehrhoff (notes) hit the post three minutes later with an empty net, then watched as the puck ricocheted off the stick of a diving Brodeur, off the other post and out.

Torres opened the scoring with 6:41 left in the first after Taormina, one of three rookies of the injury-riddled Devils defense, coughed up the puck behind his own net. Manny Malhotra (notes) pounced on it and fed Torres in front of the net for a quick shot over the right shoulder of Brodeur.

Kesler made it 2-0 on a rebound shortly after killing off a second straight power play early in the second period. New Jersey finished 0 for 2 with the man advantage and is last in the league with just three goals on 41 chances.

Notes: Canucks LW Daniel Sedin (notes) failed to record a point for the first time all season, ending his nine-game streak with seven goals and five assists. Vancouver D Keith Ballard (notes) returned after missing five games with post-concussion symptoms, but D Ryan Parent (notes) sat out with a sore groin. Canucks LW Alex Burrows, who led the team with 35 goals last season, will play his first game Tuesday in Edmonton after missing 10 recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. … New Jersey C Jacob Josefson (notes) needs surgery and will be out six to eight weeks after detaching a ligament in his hand Wednesday in San Jose.