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Goalies on display as Canucks visit Flames

Oct 6, 2007 - 1:51 PM Vancouver (0-1-0) at Calgary (0-1-0) 10:00 pm EDT

CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) - The top two goaltenders in the Western Conference will square off on Saturday.

Roberto Luongo will be in the crease for the Vancouver Canucks, who visit Miikka Kiprusoff and the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Neither of these Vezina Trophy contenders fared well in their opening contest. Luongo surrendered three first-period goals in Friday's 3-1 setback to the San Jose Sharks and Kiprusoff struggled, making 23 saves in the Flames' 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

The runner-up for the Vezina and Hart Trophies, Luongo was an iron man last season, playing in 76 regular season games last season and started 12 more in the postseason. Luongo posted a 47-22-6 record with a 2.29 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 2006-07 and helped the Canucks finish the campaign with a 32-8-6 record down the stretch en route to the Northwest Division title.

Kiprusoff was no stranger to the ice last season, either. The 2006 Vezina Trophy recipient played in 74 games, going 40-24-9 with a 2.46 GAA and .917 save percentage. He also collected a career-high 10 shutouts.

The Flames' most explosive offensive weapon, Jarome Iginla will look to light the lamp for the first time this season. The Canadian right wing, who has scored 35-plus goals in each of the previous five seasons, did manage an assist in Thursday's defeat.

Vancouver's best chance of stopping Iginla will be to stay out of the penalty box. The Canucks were one of the most penalized teams last season and took some unneccessary penalties in Friday's loss.