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Luongo, Nabokov faceoff as Canucks battle Sharks

Jan 10, 2008 - 2:22 PM Vancouver (24-14-4) at San Jose (23-12-6) 10:30 pm EST

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) - Two of the league's finest goaltenders will faceoff when the San Jose Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov rank near the top of the league in a slew of categories.

The Canucks enter this one having won seven of nine behind the solid play of Luongo, who was elected as the Western Conference's starting netminder for the All-Star Game.

While Luongo has chosen skip the game to spend time with his pregnant wife, he has certainly earned the right to go. The 28-year-old is fourth in the league in wins (20), and tied for second in goals-against average (1.96) and shutouts (6).

Luongo stopped 26 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Alex Edler scored the decisive tally in the sixth round of the bonus format.

Daniel Sedin, who has a goal in career-best five straight games, scored in regulation. Luongo will be opposed by Nabokov, who leads the league with 23 wins, and is fourth with a 2.01 GAA.

Nabokov, who has started every game for the Sharks, stopped 21 shots in a 3-2 win over Columbus on Saturday.

Nabokov has gotten the better of Luongo's Canucks in the three meetings this season, going 3-0 with a 1.68 GAA. Meanwhile, Luongo is 0-2-0 with a 3.56 GAA vs. San Jose.