Luongo Calls For Tight Play in Canucks vs Penguins NHL Opener
The Vancouver Canucks face the Pittsburgh Penguins in their NHL regular season opener on Thursday night, one of three games that kicks off the new season, as North America's best ice hockey teams compete for the coveted Stanley Cup.
In fact, William Hill and other top online sportsbooks are offering Stanley Cup odds on the outright winner of the competition. And leading the way as the 6/1 favorites are the Canucks, followed by the Philadelphia Flyers on 9/1 and then the Washington Capitals on 10/1.
Talented goalkeeper for the Canucks, the highly experienced Roberto Luongo (aka Bobby Lu), admitted this week that he is well aware that his team is facing more pressure than usual to play well in the highly anticipated Canucks vs Penguins NHL match.
The reason is that two of his teammates - Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond - are injured, which means they won't make it onto the ice to start the season off. As such, Luongo knows the Canucks will need to play tighter than usual when they host the Penguins.
Luongo told the Vancouver Sun in an interview this week that his team could learn from the way the Pittsburgh Penguins conducted themselves last season, when they, too, had to cope with an injury-ridden team.
"As a team, we have to realize what's going on right now," explained Luongo. "If we want to have some success early on, we might have to scrape out a few games 2-1 or 3-2 and we are going to need guys in the locker room buying in and making sure that we play the way we want to play, especially defensively."
"We'll get our goals, no doubt about that," he continued, "But we want to make sure that with a few men down here we play a good tight game and maybe take page out of the Pittsburgh book last year when they had all their injuries."
Crosby Out of Penguins vs Canucks NHL Game
Another fact that could sway the outcome of Thursday's game - and perhaps the Stanley Cup odds overall - is the fact that Sidney Crosby won't play for the Penguins in the opener.
Crosby has been out since January with a concussion and, although he has been attending training camp, he still hasn't been cleared for contact.
Pittsburgh Penguins coach, Dan Bylsma said: "We play Thursday and it's a few short days away. We haven't progressed to the next level yet, so it's safe to say he won't play."
It is expected that Crosby will sit out of all games until at least October 11th when Pittsburgh plays its home opener against the Florida Panthers.
"When we get back from the trip, maybe I'll see a doctor then," said Crosby. "Every day I just try to go as hard as I can. Hopefully things will keep going as they're going."
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Stanley Cup Winner Outrights at William Hill
6/1 Vancouver Canucks
8/1 Pittsburgh Penguins
9/1 Philadelphia Flyers
10/1 Boston Bruins
10/1 Washington Capitals
10/1 San Jose Sharks
14/1 Detroit Red Wings
14/1 Tampa Bay Lightning
16/1 Chicago Blackhawks
16/1 Los Angeles Kings
20/1 Buffalo Sabres
25/1 Montreal Canadiens
25/1 Anaheim Ducks
8/1 Nashville Predators
33/1 New Jersey Devils
33/1 Phoenix Coyotes
40/1 New York Rangers
40/1 Calgary Flames
40/1 Dallas Stars
40/1 Carolina Hurricanes
50/1 St. Louis Blues
50/1 Toronto Maple Leafs
50/1 Winnipeg Jets
66/1 Minnesota Wild
66/1 Ottawa Senators
66/1 Edmonton Oilers
66/1 Colorado Avalanche
80/1 Columbus Blue Jackets
80/1 New York Islanders
125/1 Florida Panthers
