Roberto Luongo believes that the Canucks can bounce back from their Game 6 defeat to win the 2011 Stanley Cup.
When top seeded teams have gone out early in the Stanley Cup playoffs fans and pundits have often lamented that the regular season means nothing in the NHL - provided that you get into the playoffs.
However for the Vancouver Canucks that hardly looks true as Vancouver, the winner of the regular season's President's Trophy, have home ice advantage for game seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals precisely because of their performances during the regular season.
Additionally that edge looks like it could make all the difference as their star goaltender, Roberto Luongo, has been like night and day depending on the venue that he's playing in.
Luongo gave up a total of 15 goals in about 6.5 periods of play at the TD Center in Boston in games 3, 4, and 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs combined. From the Rogers Arena in games 1, 2, and 5 he has only given up two goals and has shutout the Bruins twice.
From Boston, Luongo has looked like a guy that doesn't even belong in the NHL. From Vancouver, Canada's top netminder has looked like a first ballot Hall of Famer.
When asked about his road woes, Luongo could offer no explanation.
"I've had some success on the road all year, and before this series started I said I enjoy playing in this building," Luongo said. "I am not going to make any excuses. It just didn't happen for me all three games. I'm just going to move on right now. We have one game to win a Stanley Cup. That's what we're looking forward to now."
Luongo has faced pressure of the magnitude he's about to face before and in the exact same venue as where game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Luongo was in net for Team Canada in the gold medal game against Team USA.
In a game that went to overtime, Luongo helped backstop the Canadians to gold with Sidney Crosby providing the game winner.
That experience has to help Luongo although finding a crack in the armor of Tim Thomas does not appear as though it will be easy.
Game seven is Wednesday night at 8pm ET (5pm PT) with television coverage available with NBC, CBC, and RDS.
