Every Tuesday at PHT, we’ll pump a player’s tire. Because every player likes it when nice things are said about them.
This week’s tire pumpee: Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Everyone knew the inspiration for the TTP award was going to win it eventually. Not because he’s the reason the award exists, but because he’s had myriad hot streaks throughout his career.
Luongo’s latest run features a 6-0-1 record in Vancouver’s past seven games. His save percentage over that stretch is .949 -- a marked improvement from October when he went 3-3-1 with a .869 save percentage and there were calls for him to be traded, or possibly even shot into outer space.
Last night at Rogers Arena, Luongo shut out the Wild for his first perfect game of the season. He was especially good in the first period when Minnesota outplayed a shaky Canucks side.
“Obviously, we came out and execution wise we might have been a little bit off,” Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. “But that’s why you’ve got a great goaltender. He kept us in and (enabled) us to find our legs and find our hands.”
Roberto Luongo, everyone.