Final
Luongo and Canucks blank punchless Avs
Jan 31, 2013 - 8:18 AM Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Roberto Luongo earned his 61st career shutout with a 24-save performance, and the Vancouver Canucks resumed their mastery of the offensively-challenged Colorado Avalanche with a 3-0 win at Rogers Arena."I really wanted to get in there and get a win for the guys," Luongo said. "The guys did a great job of keeping most of the shots to the outside, enabling me to do my job much easier."
Jason Garrison and Maxim Lapierre each potted their first goal of the season, and Zack Kassian added a power-play marker.
The Canucks improved to 16-0-2 in the last 18 meetings with the Avalanche, who dropped to 0-4 on the road this season. They have scored one goal through the first three stops of their current four-game trek.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 20 shots in defeat.
Colorado's power play remained lifeless, going 0-for-4 and squandering a 5- on-3 that lasted well over a minute.
Garrison opened the scoring at the 7:34 mark of the first period. The Canucks' forecheck forced Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson to hastily play a puck. Johnson threw the puck off the boards in an attempt to clear the defensive zone, but Garrison beat a Colorado player to the puck and he fooled Varlamov with a slap shot from the left point.
Lapierre made it 2-0 with 4:48 remaining in the middle stanza. His tally was also unassisted as he capitalized on a puck eluding Colorado rearguard Greg Zanon at the blue line.
The Avalanche had possession in the Vancouver end, but the puck bounced over Zanon's stick. Lapierre hustled to gain control of the puck in the neutral zone and fired a low shot past Varlamov.
Kassian lit the lamp at 8:18 of the third off a nice feed from Dan Hamhuis.
"I thought we stuck with it, we worked hard," Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. "I can't fault their effort at all."
Game Notes
Vancouver has beaten Colorado seven straight times at home ... The Avalanche are just 1-for-19 on the power play this season ... Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog missed his second consecutive game with head and leg injuries ... Avalanche forward Michael Sgarbossa made his NHL debut.
- COLORADO: 0
VANCOUVER: 3
Final
Jan 31 12:34 AM - Vancouver Power-Play Goal - Zack Kassian (5), at 8:18.
Avalanche 0, Canucks 3 3rd - 11:42Jan 31 12:14 AM - COLORADO: 0
VANCOUVER: 2
End of 2nd
Jan 30 11:42 PM - COLORADO: 0
VANCOUVER: 1
End of 1st
Jan 30 10:43 PM - COLORADO: 0
VANCOUVER: 0
1st Period - 20:00
Jan 30 10:09 PM
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