GAME DAY: TONIGHT, 7:30 p.m. PDT, STAPLES CENTER VANCOUVER CANUCKS AT LOS ANGELES KINGS
Radio: Team 1040; TV: CBC
LOS ANGELES -- The Vancouver Canucks are hoping goalie Cory Schneider can help swing the momentum of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings.
Down 2-0 and facing an almost must-win situation, coach Alain Vigneault has decided to start Schneider in Game 3 tonight at the Staples Center.
"Being down 2-0, where we are right now is not a reflection of the goaltending that we have had so far," Vigneault said early this afternoon outside the team's hotel in Santa Monica. "But I feel it's time to maybe try and change the momentum a little bit and this is one of the cards that we might have."
Roberto Luongo started Games 1 and 2, both 4-2 losses, and played fairly well. But Vigneault clearly hopes Schneider can help kickstart his team. He also said Luongo took the news well.
"Roberto has been an ultimate team guy all year long and that hasn't changed," Vigneault said.
Schneider started some big games this season for Vancouver -- most notably its 4-3 win Jan. 7 in Boston -- and the Canucks hope that experience will help him tonight.
"We felt we could put Cory in in any situation," Vigneault said. "He has grown from last year to this year. He is a great young goaltender and he is going to get an opportunity tonight."
Schneider's regular-season numbers were among the best in the league. He compiled a 20-8-1 record with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.
Schneider skated with a few of the Canucks at the Kings' practice facility late this morning and had been told not to divulge the fact he was starting. He did speak in general terms about what he would face if he did in fact get the start.
"If I do get the chance to start I feel like I have learned a lot this year and even from last year's experience," he said. "I feel much better than I did last year, just in a better mind frame and what I expect out of myself. If I get an opportunity I have to be ready for the challenge."
The Kings were aware of rumours that Schneider might start when they skated this morning. Defenceman Drew Doughty said it didn't matter which goaltender they faced.
"It doesn't affect us at all," Doughty said. "No matter what goalie they put in we are going to be doing the same things. We want to get more pucks to the net, get more traffic."
Schneider is something of an unknown quantity to the Kings, as Luongo played all four games against them this season.
Doughty said he expected the Kings to watch some video of Schneider following this morning's game-day skate, .
"Now that people are talking about him possibly going in I'm sure we''ll watch some on him now," he said. "But like I said, any goalie in this league is pretty similar. If you are not getting traffic in front of him not too many pucks are going in. If he is seeing every shot on net he is going to save it. It's pretty much the same mindset whether Schneider is in or Luongo is in."
"They were both very successful during the regular season and they both played a lot of games so whoever plays their team is comfortable with them both," added Kings' coach Darryl Sutter.
The goaltending change might not make much difference if the Canucks can't find a way to improve their special teams play. Vancouver has gone 0-for-10 on the power play and surrendered two shorthanded goals to Kings' captain Dustin Brown in Game 2. The Canucks' penalty-kill has also struggled.
"Anybody that has followed the series closely knows that five-on-five it has been pretty balanced," Vigneault said. "Where there has been a difference is our power play and our penalty-killing. In both facets LA has been a lot better than we have. We are going to try and make a few adjustments tonight and hopefully we'll be good."
Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin realizes he has a big say in how effective the power play is.
"I like to have a lot of puck on my stick and I want to make plays and that hasn't happened so far on the power play," Sedin said. "So that needs to be better."
Vancouver will make one other lineup change tonight as Dale Weise draws in and will replace Andrew Ebbett on the fourth line. Vigneault plans no changes to his defence, meaning Keith Ballard will play his second straight game.
The Kings are trying to get somewhere they have never been before. Los Angeles has never led a playoff series 3-0 since joining the NHL in 1967. And Sutter said today that won't happen unless his team plays better than it did in Game 2 in Vancouver.
"We probably deserved to win Game 1 and we probably didn't deserve to win Game 2," Sutter said. "So I would say we are fortunate to be 2-0 and we could easily be 1-1.
"We are just coming off a game where we were outshot 50-25. Actually, the count was wrong, it was 50 to 25. I don't think you are going to beat this team over and over doing that."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kings: Captain Dustin Brown has three goals, an assist, 13 shots and seven hits in the first two games of the series.
Canucks: Winger Chris Higgins, so good for most of the regular season, has no points and is minus-three so far in the series. Vancouver needs more from defenceman Alex Edler, who has struggled in the opening two games.
INJURIES
The Kings are missing forwards Brad Richardson (appendectomy) and Kyle Clifford (upper body)
The Canucks are without winger Daniel Sedin (concussion).
ICE CHIPS
This is the second time in franchise history that the Kings have held a 2-0 series lead. In 1968, the Kings led Minnesota 2-0, but lost the series in seven games. . .The ice might not be great tonight as the Los Angeles Lakers met the Dallas Mavericks at the Staples Center on Sunday afternoon.
bziemer@vancouversun.com
twitter.com/bradziemer
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