Hawks light up Luongo for 5 first-period goals

Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo had to think he was reliving his Game 6 nightmare from the playoffs last spring Friday night at the United Center.

Luongo didn't allow 7 goals like he did in that series clincher for the Blackhawks last May, but he might have had Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault not pulled him after the first period.

The Hawks blitzed Luongo for 5 first-period goals, chasing the Olympic gold medal-winning goalie to the bench en route to a rousing 6-3 win.

Luongo smashed his stick over the boards as he left ice after the first period with the sellout crowd of 22,235 razzing him with chants of "Loooooooou."

The Hawks buzzed Luongo like they did last spring, getting first-period goals from Andrew Ladd, Duncan Keith, Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg and Jordan Hendry.

After Keith's power-play rocket made it 2-0 at 10:22, Luongo flapped his arms at the referees, complaining that Dustin Byfuglien had interfered with him.

"Anytime you get a couple on a goalie, and pretty quick ones like that, it's got to get in the goalie's head a little bit," Brouwer said. "He looked a little frustrated after Dunc's goal when there are five or six guys in front of the net."

The Hawks came to play and meant business from the opening faceoff.

Ladd went right after Ryan Kesler 37 seconds into the game in a scrap in the corner, giving the Vancouver center an opportunity back up his calling Ladd a coward in January.

Kesler wanted no part of it.

"I think I proved my point in terms of what I bring to the table," Ladd said. "I just wanted to get it over with and we could kind of roll from there."

Ladd and Kesler were in the starting lineups and began jawing even before the opening faceoff.

"We were talking off the faceoff and I don't think he really wanted anything to do with me," Ladd said. "He told me he didn't want anything to do with me, but that's all right."

Ladd's quick strike ignited the Hawks and the big crowd.

"It was nice to see him go right after him," Versteeg said. "Those guys have had a little bit of a jawing contest back and forth and I like that stuff. It's good for the fans to see a rivalry between two guys lie that.

"I would have liked to have seen a better fight, but it was a good way to start the game."

Later in the period Brent Seabrook won a fight with Andrew Alberts, who didn't like a clean Seabrook check but wasn't able to back it up his indignation.

While Luongo was fighting the puck, Hawks goalie Cristobal Huet was making some big saves at the other end, especially during a Canucks' 5-on-3 power play early in the first period with it still a 1-goal game.

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