Going into the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, many expected some great work from two Vezina Trophy finalists. Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo didn’t disappoint in Game 1, despite playing in a contest that was often wide-open and sloppy.
Luongo earned a 36-save shutout last night, coming up especially big early on in the contest. He stopped 17 shots in the first period, including nine on a four-minute double-minor penalty on Daniel Sedin for high-sticking Zdeno Chara. Luongo didn’t make quite as many highlight reel saves as his unorthodox counterpart, but he still won the game and earned the goose egg.
Thomas was often spectacular in his own right, even if he allowed the game’s only goal. Some might say that Thomas was a bit too aggressive as Jannik Hansen drew him in before passing to Raffi Torres, but his defense ultimately let him down. He plugged up quite a few leaks earlier in the contest, making heart-stopping saves with considerable regularity.
With two great goaltending performances in mind, it only makes sense that we share the Net Cam footage from Game 1. Check out highlights in the video below.