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Should Vancouver start Cory Schneider in Game 3? One columnist thinks so

Columbus Blue Jackets v Vancouver Canucks

VANCOUVER, CANADA - NOVEMBER 29: Goalie Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks congratulates goalie Cory Schneider #35 after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL action on November 29, 2011 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

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After seeing the Los Angeles Kings take Game 2 over Vancouver and steal away to a 2-0 series lead, the questions about what to do about the Canucks are many. With Daniel Sedin now looking like he’ll be out for the rest of the first round, finding a new way to rally the team is proving to be tricky.

For Dan Murphy of Sportsnet, his solution to light a fire under the Canucks comes in a different form. He says Vancouver should give the Game 3 start in goal to Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo and this time it’s got nothing to do with how Luongo has played.

So why make the switch to Schneider if goaltending hasn’t been the problem?

Simply for the fact the Canucks need something to rally around. They need something to wake them up, something to shake them up. And for those of you who don’t think head coach Alain Vigneault would do that to Luongo, consider the fact he did it in Game 6 in the first round last season.

I know the circumstances are a little different as Luongo wasn’t as sharp after Game 5 of the Chicago series as he is now. But it shows that Vigneault has the stones to make the move. And I think he should.

It would be a very ballsy move by Vigneault to start Schneider but one that reeks of desperation. Without Sedin there to balance out the lines, shaking up the lines is the only other thing he’s really left to do to fire up the team and at this point, it may not be enough.

The problem here Vigneault faces should he start Schneider over Luongo and the Canucks rally, where does that leave Luongo? Luongo has played well through two games despite the losses and he’s clearly the No. 1 guy for Vancouver. Those are headaches to be had in the future, if necessary, but this is one desperate move that could have ugly consequences down the road.