For the most part, Roberto Luongo and those connected to the soap opera(s) that followed him can take a breather after Sunday.
After Luongo’s Panthers frustrated Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils to defeat on Friday, his new* team couldn’t manage the same feat against his former club the Vancouver Canucks, who squeaked by with a 4-3 shootout victory. If nothing else, Luongo, 33, is helping these games become more than just fodder for easy jokes.
And, actually, the jokes have been pretty good lately:
I updated Sportsnet's goodbye to Luongo to make it more accurate: pic.twitter.com/rd2grqswgi
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) March 16, 2014
Eddie Lack probably let out a big sigh of relief with this win, as the coverage might have jumped a level to “insufferable” if his team failed against the East’s second-lowest-ranked franchise.
Maybe Luongo let out a sigh of relief, too, as most of these negative nostalgia meetings are over. Then again, there’s still one more to look forward to, as Schneider bids to finally beat his former goalie partner when the Panthers face the New Jersey Devils on March 31 ...
Note: To say that the goalie storyline was the only thing to emerge would be incorrect. Beyond Alex Burrows finally contributing offensively for Vancouver, there was also Kevin Bieksa’s impressive “save” to enjoy:
* - Which also happens to be his once-old team, to make things just a touch weirder.