Loquacious Luongo goes silent on next start
A s good as he was on the ice, Roberto Luongo was even better in the mixed zone.
“It’s nice,” he said, following his 6-0 shutout win over Austria.” This was my first win in three weeks (he’d lost his last five starts with the Vancouver Canucks before the Olympic break). It feels really good, you know.”
And: “I just didn’t want to give up that six-goal lead in the third.”
And: “(Jeff Carter) wanted to give the (game) puck to me for the shutout and I wanted to give it to him for the hat trick. I’m not sure if he kept it or not. Maybe he gave it to Babs.”
That would be Mike Babcock, the Canadian head coach who watched the Kings’ winger score three goals against the Austrians.
But when the post-game questions took on a different tone, suddenly openmike night in Sochi was over. Luongo was asked if he thought he’d done enough to earn the starting assignment Sunday. He was asked essentially the same question in a variety of ways.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Luongo said. “We’re not here for personal agendas. We’re here to play for our country. Whether it’s me or Carey (Price, who started in Canada’s 3-1 win over Norway) it’s not a big deal. I’ll be ready either way.”
Babcock wasn’t any more forthcoming on this subject. But, in reading the tea leaves, it would register as an upset if Luongo didn’t get the start against the Finns.
Luongo was stiletto-sharp in his 23-save shutout. The Austrians didn’t sustain a lot of pressure but they did produce quality chances and Luongo was the master of his domain.
Luongo made the shutout stand up with a breakaway save off Oliver Setzinger in the third.
“I wasn’t too worried about it,” Luongo said. “But you always want to make the big save when it’s needed.”