Canucks lose G Luongo to rib fracture

Oct 28, 2009 - 11:07 PM VANCOUVER, British Columbia(AP) -- Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo will miss at least the next two games after sustaining a hairline fracture in one of his ribs.

Luongo isn't sure how long he'll be out, but expects to be back much quicker than the 24 games it took him to recover from a groin injury last year.

"I am stubborn so I don't know," Luongo said when asked about the possibility of an early return. "Thankfully I dealt with this a couple of years ago. It's almost the same injury and I know more or less what the timeline is and how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

"There is no definite timeline because it's really about the amount of pain that you've got there. I'm definitely not playing the next two games, so we'll see after that."

Luongo will skip Thursday's game in Los Angeles and Friday's contest at Anaheim. His status for Sunday's game with visiting Colorado will depend on how he feels.

Luongo was hurt during Saturday's 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, when a shot from the corner caught him through a soft spot in his padding.

He beat Edmonton 2-0 on Sunday but aggravated the injury Tuesday night while facing 42 shots in a 5-4 loss to Detroit. Luongo added that he had a similar injury two years ago.

Backup Andrew Raycroft, who has allowed one goal in 52 minutes over two games when Luongo got the hook from coach Alain Vigneault, will get his first start for the Canucks on Thursday. The Canucks recalled Cory Schneider from their American Hockey League affiliate Wednesday to serve as the backup.

Luongo did not accompany the club to California and said he doesn't plan to rush his return.

"It's about healing and making sure you don't have issues the rest of the year," he said. "It's not about sucking it up and playing."

Raycroft, who is used to the pressure of an intense hockey market after playing in Toronto, said he was probably due for a start.

"I've had more than enough time," Raycroft said of his inactivity. "We've basically had two months so it'll be fun to get in there.