Roberto Luongo will be starting Game 5 for the Vancouver Canucks, despite being yanked in Game 4 against the Boston Bruins, a 4-0 loss. In one sense, there's stability in the Canucks crease thanks to Luongo keeping his starting job, despite the amount of criticism that's been thrown his way.
Bruins Vs. Canucks, Game 5: Roberto Luongo Starting, Keith Ballard Out For Vancouver
Really, a lot of the blame for two tough losses in a row can be blamed on the guys in front of the goal, not the goaltender. And a lot of it falls squarely on a defensive unit that's been anything but good. Not that it's easy: Dan Hamhuis is out with an injury and is doubtful to return in the series, and of course Aaron Rome is out for the series after his suspension for the Nathan Horton hit.
In Rome's place in Game 4 was Keith Ballard, the $4 million man who was a healthy scratch in the first three games of the series. We learned exactly why in Game 4. Ballard was brutal, and if the morning skate this Friday is any indication, he'll be out again for Game 5.s
In his place will be Chris Tanev, and you can expect that most of the workload will be kept away from Tanev and released upon Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo, Alex Edler and Christian Ehrhoff. Now that the Canucks are back at home, they'll have to hope that they can use the home ice to their advantage when it comes to favorable matchups for their defense.
The Stanley Cup Finals are ongoing, as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins. Stick with this StoryStream for full coverage of Game 5. For coverage on the Finals, stick with our Stanley Cup Finals hub, our Canucks blog, Nucks Misconduct, and our Bruins blog, Stanley Cup of Chowder.
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