The game between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks is shaping up to be a closer contest than the two Eastern Conference routs that unfolded earlier in the day, at the very least.
Canucks vs. Sharks Game 1 Update: Luongo keeps game scoreless, Havlat hurt
Vancouver and San Jose traded chances in a physical first period, but there’s no score yet.
Surprise-starter Roberto Luongo was tested early on a San Jose powerplay, but he was up to the task, robbing Martin Havlat in the first five minutes to keep the game scoreless:
The Sharks had their first seven shots of the game on that early power-play. The Canucks would come back with pressure of their own, and then San Jose would end the period with a few more chances on another power play. The Sharks had the edge in shots in the first frame 15-9
Raffi Torres, the former Vancouver Canuck who was a major factor in the playoff series between these teams two years ago, threw the body around in the opening frame, laying the body on several Canucks. Torres finished the period with four hits, but the biggest hit of the period might have belonged to San Jose's James Sheppard:
Martin Havlat, one of San Jose’s main offensive weapons, left the game in the first and his return is questionable, according to the team. He missed San Jose’s final game of the regular season due to a non-specific injury.
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