Hey, what's the deal with the Vancouver Canucks? Picked by many -- but not me, I like Calgary -- to finish first in the Northwest Division, the Canucks have lost their first three games and haven't looked very good while doing it.
The biggest problem: subpar work by star goalie Roberto Luongo, who was yanked in Monday's home opener against Columbus after allowing goals on three consecutive shots to begin the second period.
Luongo actually played OK in Saturday's 3-0 loss in Denver, but he was medicore at best in Vancouver's season-opening defeat in Calgary and awful against the Blue Jackets.
Luongo is the Canucks' best player -- at least, he should be -- and he's just too talented to keep playing the way he has. Vancouver has outshot the opposition by a wide margin in each of the first three games, yet has nothing to show for it.
Luongo was in goal for 33 of the Canucks' 45 wins a year ago and is a perennial Vezina Trophy candidate, but he hasn't played like one so far this season. Assuming he starts Wednesday against Montreal, he'll take a 4.55 goals-against average and .820 save percentage into the game.
It doesn't get much uglier than that.
Canucks coach Alain Vigneault isn't pushing the panic button yet. Nor should he, not with 79 games still to play.
"Roberto is one of the best goaltenders in the league and definitely one of the hardest workers in this league, so he's going to find his game like he always does," Vigneault told Vancouver reporters. "The other parts of our game are pretty good. Obviously, we're making a few mistakes, but we are generating a lot. And we're not that far away."
I wouldn't worry too much about the Canucks. Luongo will get back on track, the Sedin twins will pop in a few goals, that first win will come and all will be well in beautiful British Columbia.
For a day or two, anyway.
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