Canucks take 2-0 series lead

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Roberto Luongo made 30 saves in his first NHL playoff shutout, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 3-0 on Friday night to take a big lead in the Western Conference playoff series.

Mats Sundin put Vancouver ahead late in the second period, and Luongo did the rest as the Canucks grabbed a 2-0 advantage in the series that will continue Sunday in St. Louis.

Alex Burrows added an insurance goal midway through the third period, scoring on a wraparound less than a minute after Luongo had bailed him out on a tripping penalty with a couple of great saves during the ensuing power play.

Henrik Sedin, who had an assist on Burrow's goal, scored into an empty net with 1:24 left.

Luongo, who finished the regular season with consecutive shutouts before making 25 saves in a 2-1 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday, made several spectacular saves. He got some help as Blues forward Andy McDonald hit the crossbar three times, two on drives deflected by Luongo.

Sundin, playing his first playoff series in five years after signing with the Canucks in mid-December, gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead with 1:56 left in the second period. He cut through the slot off a rush and knocked Pavol Demitra's centering pass out of mid air, bouncing the puck between the legs of Chris Mason and just over the goal line.

Mason matched Luongo most of the way, making 24 saves, but was unable to prevent the Blues from losing consecutive games in regulation for the first time since the middle of January.

After winning a penalty-filled first game on the strength of special teams, the Canucks rode Luongo to victory in Game 2. He made his first big save 24 seconds into the game.

Keith Tkachuk fed a pass out front to an open Dan Hinote, whose quick shot was turned away by Luongo's right pad. Four minutes later, Luongo sprawled and threw his blocker on McDonald's deflection from the slot, getting enough of the shot to knock it off the crossbar.

That was part of more than eight minutes of fast-paced action without a whistle. The teams combined for 22 hits in the first 10 minutes. There were 33 hits in the opening period counted by the end of the first period -- 18 for St. Louis.

Luongo made a pair of improbable left-pad stops on a St. Louis power play midway through the period. He kicked out his leg to deny McDonald's deflection from the top of the crease, then extended it fully to turn aside David Backes on the rebound.

Mason denied Daniel Sedin in tight, forced Demitra to send a deflection wide from the top of the crease, and slid quickly to his left to rob Henrik Sedin on a backdoor pass. Burrows knocked the rebound into the net, but he did it with his glove so the goal was waved off immediately.

Luongo made two more great stops with Burrows in the penalty box in the third period, sticking out his right pad to deny McDonald again. He flashed his glove to get a piece of T.J. Oshie's one-timed blast from the point as a power play expired.

Burrows then battled out from behind the net and banged the puck in off Mason less than a minute after his penalty expired. McDonald hit the crossbar again, this time off Luongo's glove, with seven minutes left.

Notes: The game ended with a full scrum as all five skaters from

both teams dropped their gloves in the corner. ... The Blues, who came into the series with the NHL's eighth-best power play, were 0-for-4 after going 1-for-7 in Game 1. ... Blues D Erik Johnson, out since tearing both ligaments in his knee in a preseason golf-cart accident, has resumed skating on his own but is not expected to play in this series. ... Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said he has talked twice to LW Taylor Pyatt, who left the team after his fiancee, Carly Bragnalo, was killed in a car accident on April 3. Vigneault said Pyatt could return "in the next little while," but there is no timetable.