Friday, Dec. 3, 2010
Updated 11:07 PM
By Tracey Myers
CSNChicago.com
Tomas Kopecky looked to the sky with a look of angst.
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was sprawled on the ice when the Chicago Blackhawks winger fired what he hoped was a sure shot.
But it didnt go in. And for the Blackhawks on Friday, none of them would.
Luongo stopped all 32 shots he faced and Henrik Sedin scored as the Canucks beat the Blackhawks 3-0 at the United Center. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Blackhawks, who were also shut out for the first time this season.
The Blackhawks had some choice opportunities throughout this one. Kopecky, who had six shots on net, was stopped on several close calls, including a third-period attempt that wouldve tied the game 1-1 at the time.
NHL
Im really frustrated right now, especially with myself, he said. I missed that empty net and it would be a totally different game (if I scored). Then I took a penalty and they scored, and it changed the game. Weve got to bounce back, and I know we will. We have a good team, we just need to stay out of the box and bury our chances.
Luongo didnt make things easy for the Blackhawks. After being yanked midway through the teams Nov. 20 matchup in Vancouver, Luongo was big and unbeatable on Friday.
He flashed the leather a few times and made it look pretty. Obviously if the other teams going to win, theyre going to need him to make big stops and he did that tonight, Jonathan Toews said. Weve proven in the past its nothing we cant deal with. Hes one player and we just have to make it harder on him. When weve had success against this team, thats what weve done well. Obviously we didnt do that well tonight.
Vancouver, meanwhile, made the most of their few chances. Tanner Glass knocked home a rebound Marty Turco couldnt corral to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead midway through the second. Christian Ehrhoff scored just seconds into a Vancouver power play and Henrik Sedin added another late in the third.
Coach Joel Quenneville said the Blackhawks missed golden opportunities on their end.
Give (Luongo) credit, he played well. We had some high-quality chances in that game, he said. I liked our preparation and our approach; 5-on-5 was pretty tight both ways, but we did miss some high-quality opportunities.
Turco, getting his first start since Nov. 23 in San Jose, allowed three on 18 shots. Quenneville said Turco was fine.
Turco said when youre in a goalie battle like I was, you have to hold up your end of the bargain. Its disappointing losing anytime. But when you have a week off and a chance to put in some hard work, its even more disappointing.
Briefly
The Blackhawks observed a moment of silence in honor of Chicago Cubs legend Ron Santo, who died Thursday night of complications from bladder cancer. He was 70 years old.
Jonathan Toews played in his 250th career game on Friday.
Fernando Pisani was out on Friday (upper body). He is still listed as day to day.
Jordan Hendry was a healthy scratch on Friday.
Tracey Myers is CSNChicago.com's Blackhawks Insider. Follow Tracey on Twitter @TramyersCSN for up-to-the-minute Hawks information.