Then there is the Vancouver media which feels the need to post headlines like “Schneider to get the start vs flames and leave Luongo fuming” and then go on to state in the article that it was a scheduled start.

I honostly believe that more optimistic local sports reporting would make a huge difference.

At the end of the day we’re nearly as culpable for it as they are. This kind of muckraking sells papers and draws pageviews.. the guys writing it know this, Brough and Halford know this and re-post it here, you and I know this and now there are 13 comments within about an hour of the ‘story’ appearing here (four of them mine).

I would say he is certainly apt to get ventilated now and then (regardless of how the team in front of him plays – he does have nights like last night where he is simply not making the tough saves) but it’s not nearly as bad as it looks.

Many Canucks fans like to absolve the other players by claiming they sag so badly when Lou allows a goal that they can no longer play team defense, but I have a hard time accepting this. So many times it’s been a failure to take away the middle of the ice, a failure to stop odd man rushes, an injury-riddled roster, etc.

That being said…. I certainly would have no problem seeing the Canucks coaching staff pull Luongo much more quickly – if the Canucks surrender a couple of quick goals and are not battling then just make the switch and see if it sparks the group.. whoever’s fault it is, it’s evident that when a team takes over the game for a stretch and converts a couple of times it’s as likely as not that the Canucks won’t be able to stop the bleeding.

a goalie change is what it is.. a way to spark a fire under the TEAM!! clearly.. it worked as they won the game in the end.

Luongo is not going to steal every game where the team in front of him doesn’t show up, and Schneider is a fantastic young goaltender whose flaws are either not exposed in a backup role or are willfully overlooked by the fans and media (his atrocious puckhandling decisions).

Attempting to make a controversy about the crowd’s reaction in the building last night is the same old hack journalism we’ve come to accept as normal in this town. But I guess there’s not much else to talk about – no updates on injured players, no on ice fireworks lately, just a ho-hum seven game winning streak..

Will Lou be on a shorter-than-ever leash in these playoffs? I sure hope so. Does it mean anything in particular for his career as a Canuck? Not necessarily – hell, the guy who turned in a Hall-of-Fame-worthy performance in last year’s Finals didn’t even start for his team the previous year’s playoffs.

If the fans prefer to try Cory Schneider over Luongo in the playoffs, I get it because Schneider has been amazing in limited action. But Luongo does not deserve to be jeered off the ice, particularly on a night where the Canucks defence let him down.