Opportunity Knocks For Young Canuck Goaltender

Well, they could have probably been a little bit more cautious when giving goaltender Cory Schneider his first career start. They could have waited until Monday night in Columbus, rather than throwing him into the Hockey Night In Canada spotlight on Saturday night, against the divisional rival Flames in Calgary.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault went with his gut, stating that it just felt like the right time.

Cory Schneider

The 22 year old 2004 first round draft pick made the most of his opportunity. He looked poised and confident. Although the Canucks lost the game, Schneider played amazingly. Calgary outshot Vancouver 31-18, and controlled pretty much the entire middle frame.

Yesterday, Schneider was named AHL goalie of the month for November. He posted a 5-0-0 record with a 1.20 goals against average and a .959 save percentage during the month. So far this season with the Canuck affiliate, Manitoba Moose, Schneider leads the AHL with a 10-1-0 record in 11 appearances, and a goals against average of 1.37. His .945% save percentage is good for third.

Last night, he came in to relieve Curtis Sanford, who left the contest in Columbus against the Blue Jackets after the first period with back spasms. He made 15 saves off 18 shots to take the 3-2 loss.

The story of the game though was rookie Columbus goaltender on the opposite end, Steve Mason, who improved to 6-2-1, with a .929 save performance. Mason was named NHL rookie of the month for November prior to the game.

Canucks Captain Roberto Luongo remains sidelined with what is now being called a strained groin.

Vancouver takes the road show to the motor city, where a 2500 square foot house recently sold for ONE DOLLAR. The city of Detroit may be experiencing some tough times during this credit crunch, but the Red Wings are doing the best that they can to make their fans forget about it, having only lost twice in regulation in their last 13 games.

That’s not great news for the Canucks, who are currently on a 7 game road trip and looking to rebound from 3 straight losses.