Pierre McGuire's In the Crease

Michael Farber

January 29, 2007

Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo's performance against the Senators last Thursday, a 2--1 Vancouver win, shows why even though his 2.38 goals-against average ranked ninth in the NHL through Sunday, he rivals New Jersey's Martin Brodeur (2.01) as the league's best goalie. Luongo (above) stopped 34 of 35 shots, including a save on a Dany Heatley breakaway in the second period, and he gives the Canucks (28-20-2) a real chance to make the playoffs despite the team's poor offense and lack of depth on defense.... For most of his nine-year, four-team career, center Marc Savard (below) has been viewed as an underachiever, unhappy in the dressing room. That's not true this season, his first with the Bruins. Boston's coaches say Savard's passion has blown them away, and he has become the team's go-to offensive player, bringing a quick-strike element..... Blues first-year president John Davidson didn't panic after his team's poor start; he stabilized the franchise by hiring Andy Murray to replace Mike Kitchen as coach. St. Louis was 12-4-4 under Murray, who has instilled a positive, proactive mind-set and raised the games of defenseman Eric Brewer and power forward Bill Guerin.