VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Roberto Luongo made nine of his 17 saves during a four-minute penalty kill, and the Vancouver Canucks kept their Stanley Cup finals opener against the Boston Bruins scoreless through the first period Wednesday night.
Both teams entered their first playoff meeting looking to end lengthy Stanley Cup droughts. Vancouver has never won the NHL title in four decades of existence, while Boston has lost five straight finals since winning in 1972.
Vancouver weathered Boston's lengthy advantage with flair, adding to the Bruins' playoff struggles on the power play.
High-scoring Vancouver twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin also couldn't get the puck past Boston goalie Tim Thomas in the opening period of the Canucks' first finals appearance since 1994.
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