OTHL -- Florida Panthers goaltender Robert Luongo took home his 5th Goaltender Of The Week award today. The 26 year old netminder has also recived one Goaltender Of The Month award, and he is tied with Ed Belfour for the league lead in shutouts (9). So making a case for Roberto Luongo as a sure candidate for the Vezina Trophy is not hard.
The past week Luongo posted a 3-0-0 record to go with his 9th shutout and a .973 save pct. Luongo and the Panthers started the league with a 3-1 win over Detroit. A game where Detroit outshoot Florida 33 to 17, but thanks to stellar goaltending from Luongo, the Panthers came away with the win. The Panthers then took on the Predators a 2-2 game where Brian Boucher started insted of Luongo. However, in the next game, against Tampa Bay Lightning Luongo where back in net. And the Panthers took a new win, this time the Panthers won 2-1 and Luongo made 19 saves. Florida then returned home and hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. And Roberto Luongo ended the week on a high note, as he shutout the Hurricanes by making 22 saves in this 2-0 win.
Luongo recived the award just ahead of Nashville's Tomas Vokoun who where 3-0-1 this past week with a .944 save pct and Pittsburgh's Olaf Kölzig who had a 2-0-1 record and a .949 save pct.
PREVIOUS GOALTENDER'S OF THE WEEK:
Week 26 - Roberto Luongo (Florida)
Week 25 - Ed Belfour (Toronto)
Week 24 - Miikka Kiprusoff (Boston)
Week 23 - Curtis Joseph (Tampa Bay)
Week 22 - Tommy Salo (Washington)
Week 21 - Nikolai Khabibulin (Detroit)
Week 20 - David Aebischer (Colorado)
Week 19 - Martin Brodeur (New Jersey)
Week 18 - Nikolai Khabibulin (Detroit)
Week 17 - Andrew Raycroft (Philadelphia)
Week 16 - David Aebsicher (Colorado)
Week 15 - Miikka Kiprusoff (Boston)
Week 14 - Martin Biron (Anaheim)
Week 13 - Roberto Luongo (Florida)
Week 12 - Roberto Luongo (Florida)
Week 11 - Martin Brodeur (New Jersey)
Week 10 - Dan Cloutier (Vancouver)
Week 09 - Roberto Luongo (Florida)
Week 08 - Roberto Luongo (Florida)
Week 07 - Miikka Kiprusoff (Boston)
Week 06 - Kevin Weeks (Carolina)
Week 05 - David Aebischer (Colorado)
Week 04 - Jean Sebastien Giguere (Buffalo)
Week 03 - Ty Conklin (Columbus)
Week 02 - Dominik Hasek (Atlanta)
Week 01 - Miikka Kiprusoff (Calgary)
KOLTSOV SCOOPS AWARD While Roberto Luongo recived his 5th GOTW-award. We had a first time winner on the player side, as Pittsburgh Penguins young winger Konstantine Koltsov took home his first award this season. Koltsov had a spectacular week with 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in 3 played games. Koltsov where also +6 and had 2 hits in the 3 games he played.
The Penguins claimed a place in the playoffs this past week, thanks to 2 wins and 1 tied game. The week started with a 3-1 win over the Penguins fearce rivals, the Philadephia Flyers. A game where Koltsov had 1 goal and 1 assist, while Pittsburgh won 3-1. In there next game the Penguins tied (2-2) with Toronto, and this time Koltsov left the ice with 1 point to his name. The week was closed with a 6-1 win over Anaheim, a game that was dominated by Koltsov and Saku Koivu who both had 3 points. Koltsov in the form of 1 goal and 2 assists.
Runner-ups for the award where Koltsov's teammate, defender Kimmo Timonen who had 1 goal and 3 assists in 3 games, and Montreal's center Pavol Demitra who had 4 assists in 3 played games.
PREVIOUS PLAYER'S OF THE WEEK:
Week 26 - Konstantine Koltsov (Pittsburgh)
Week 25 - Sergei Fedorov (Toronto)
Week 24 - Zigmund Palffy (Montreal)
Week 23 - Niklas Lidström (Buffalo)
Week 22 - Cory Stillman (Detroit)
Week 21 - Ray Whitney (Detroit)
Week 20 - Glen Murray (Boston)
Week 19 - Saku Koivu (Pittsburgh)
Week 18 - Bryan McCabe (Toronto)
Week 17 - Marco Sturm (Montreal)
Week 16 - Adam Foote (Toronto)
Week 15 - Rico Fata (New Jersey)
Week 14 - Brian Willsie (Washington)
Week 13 - Jaromir Jagr (Dallas)
Week 12 - Mats Sundin (Phoenix)
Week 11 - Vincent LeCavalier (Tampa Bay)
Week 10 - Adam Deadmarsh (NY Islanders)
Week 09 - Mathieu Biron (Carolina)
Week 08 - Doug Weight (Florida)
Week 07 - Ray Whitney & Pavel Datsuyk (Detroit)
Week 06 - Richard Jackman (Pittsburgh)
Week 05 - Chris Chelios (Chicago)
Week 04 - Brent Sopel (New Jersey)
Week 03 - Patrik Elias (New Jersey)
Week 02 - Josef Vasicek (Carolina)
Week 01 - Kip Miller (Tampa Bay)