Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Sports

Canucks' 1-0 win in Game 1 historically significant

By National Hockey League
Published | Updated

Through 60 minutes of play in Game 1 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, the Blackhawks and Flyers combined for 11 goals on 64 shots.

Through 60 minutes of play in Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, the Canucks and Bruins combined for 70 shots -- but only one goal was produced.

Not only was Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final drastically different than Game 1 of 2010, this year's series opener had some historical significance, too.

With 18.5 seconds remaining in the third period of Wednesday night's Game 1, Vancouver's Raffi Torres redirected a pass from Jannik Hansen. The puck slid past a sprawling Tim Thomas to give the Canucks a 1-0 victory -- sending the 18,860 blue and green-clad fans at Rogers Arena into a frenzy as they frantically waved their white towels.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Torres' tally was the latest regulation goal in a 1-0 final score in Stanley Cup Final history.

In addition to that, Torres' strike at 19:41 of the third period was the latest go-ahead goal of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs -- and the latest in a Stanley Cup Final since Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux scored with 13 seconds left in Game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final to give the Penguins a 5-4 victory over Chicago.

Conversely, Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo shined on the other end of the ice. He stopped all 36 stops he faced to record his League-leading third shutout of the postseason. Each of those three shutouts has come in the opening game of a series. Luongo turned aside 32 shots to shut down the Blackhawks on April 13, then blanked the Predators with a 20-save shutout on April 28.

Lunogo's 36-save performance on Wednesday night marked the first 1-0 shutout in the opening game of a Stanley Cup Final since 1984. In that year, Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr turned aside all 33 shots he faced to blank the New York Islanders.

But what makes Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final extra special?

The Elias Sports Bureau also produced this statistic: Since the NHL was formed in 1917, the only opening game of a Stanley Cup Final series to remain goalless longer than this year’s opener (59:41) was Game 1 between the Bruins and the original Ottawa Senators in 1927, which ended in a 0-0 tie after 60 minutes of regulation time and a 20-minute overtime period.

In the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, a total of 47 goals were scored in the Blackhawks' 4-2 series win against the Flyers. The goal horn might not go off half as much in this year's Final -- that is, if Game 1 is any indication.