Roberto Luongo's steadying presence paying off for Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. - It's hard to understate Roberto Luongo's value to the Florida Panthers.
In just his second start since returning from a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for the first month of the season, the 39-year-old made 26 saves to lead the Panthers to 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at BB&T Center - Florida's first home victory this year.

Of those 26 stops, more than a handful made their way onto the highlight reel, as Luongo was able to keep the Oilers off the board with a pair of huge glove saves on forwards Ty Rattie and Leon Draisaitl within the first five minutes of action as the Panthers worked to find their footing.

"It's amazing," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said after Friday's practice at BB&T Center. "Re-watching the game, it could have been 2-0 within the first five minutes. He made some big saves… He gives our guys confidence. I think he gives us a chance to find our game when it's not there. His last two starts have been great hockey for him."
In speaking with Luongo's Panthers teammates, the confidence his presence brings is evident. With the Oilers pressing hard in the first period, forward Nick Bjugstad said each save was like a new lease on life for the Panthers, inspiring the team to reward their goaltender for his efforts.
For although a pair of big goals brought the house down and broke the game open later in the second period, Luongo's heroics in the first were viewed to be just as important in the locker room.
"It's literally a gamechanger," said Bjugstad, who scored the eventual game-winning goal when he made it 2-0 at 8:12 of the second period. "Instead of having two in your net, you're tied up and feeding off that momentum from the energy from Lu.
"He's got that focus right away. He's been injured and hasn't played a lot of games, but it doesn't look like he missed a beat. When he makes saves like that, he definitely gives you confidence in the backend. It changed the game last night."
In the midst of his 19th NHL season, not missing a beat has become an art form for Luongo.
A perfect 2-0-0 in two starts since returning from his stint on the injured reserve list, the future Hall of Famer boasts a 1.19 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage in three appearances this season. Of the 74 shots he's faced, just three have found their way past him.
Dating back to last season, Luongo's .931 save percentage leads all regular NHL goaltenders.
"I don't know what it is," Luongo said of his ability to bounce back so effectively. "I've been lucky in that regard, that coming back from injury I've felt pretty good. You put in the work and it's nice to see it pay off once you get back in there."
At this stage of his career, Luongo continues to put in hours of added work in order to stay as healthy as possible. His warm-up routine, which used to last 20-30 minutes during his prime years, now runs anywhere from 45-60 minutes - a testament to his strong passion for the game.
On Friday, as it is following each game, his next day routine now includes a well-earned maintenance day off the ice.
"It's important, especially when there's games every second day," said Luongo, who was limited to 33 starts last season due to injury. "I think you've got to listen to the body. I'm the type of guy that likes to practice, but at the same time, you've got to make sure you're fresh for the game."
With the Panthers set to play 13 games in the next 23 days, Luongo said he and the coaches will work together to come up with the best way to manage his playing time in order to keep him as healthy and effective as possible - not only for this tight stretch, but the season as a whole.
"It's a consensus," Luongo said when asked about his minutes expectations. "We talk about it, especially with Tally [Panthers goaltending coach Robb Tallas]. We make that decision. Obviously I'd love to play every game, but we also have to realize it's a long year and we have to manage. Right now, I think the main thing is that we get some wins."
The wins have certainly been coming since Luongo's return, as the Panthers (4-5-3) have won their last two games and will look to extend their winning streak to a season-long three games when they continue their homestand against the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
When asked about his starting goaltender making another dazzling return from injury, Boughner said that, between what he brings on and off the ice, he has concluded that life is better with Luongo around.
"As a coach, it's like losing your best player when he's gone," Boughner said. "Your whole team changes. Not that it should, but it does… Sometimes you can see in games earlier [this season] when we didn't have him, we were a little bit fragile. Last couple games, we've been protecting leads and doing the right things. He just oozes a sense of confidence into the team."