Canucks 2, Blackhawks 0
Roberto Luongo made 32 saves for the shutout as the Vancouver Canucks earned a 2-0 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series Wednesday night.
Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen scored first-period goals for the Presidents Trophy-winning Canucks, who will host Game 2 Friday night. Luongo made the lead stand – but not without plenty of luck, as Chicago hit four posts on the night.
The Canucks mauled the defending-champion Blackhawks in the opening period, outshooting them 13-7 and garnering the majority of the scoring chances. Higgins' redirection of a Kevin Bieksa slapshot at 7:03 put Vancouver in front, and Hansen wristed a shot past Chicago netminder Corey Crawford just over three minutes later to extend the lead.
Both teams hit the post early in the second, and the Blackhawks added another post later in the period. Luongo was sharp along the way, making several stops from in close to preserve the two-goal advantage through 40 minutes.
Desperate for a goal, Chicago pulled the goaltender with 2:28 left in regulation after Vancouver's Daniel Sedin was given a hooking penalty. The two-man advantage lasted just 31 seconds, as Chicago's Troy Brouwer was whistled for interference after knocking Bieksa into Luongo.
Crawford turned aside 31 shots in his first career playoff game.