Although the Vancouver Canucks improved to 7-0-2 in their last nine games Saturday night, the Northwest Division’s first-place club lost its star goalie less than five minutes into a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Roberto Luongo, one of the NHL’s best goaltenders, suffered a left groin strain on what appeared to be a routine save. Early on Monday, according to Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province, Luongo underwent an MRI exam and was seen without crutches at GM Place, the Canucks’ home rink. Still, he is likely to miss at least a few weeks. Groin ailments are frustrating injuries that can take weeks or even months to heal. For now, he’s listed as week-to-week.

Losing the 29-year-old veteran for an extended period could prove costly to the 14-6-2 Canucks. He’s been a difference-maker in net, even playing on a competitive team, as he has since joining the Canucks in a trade with Florida before the 2006-07 season.

Vancouver Goaltenders, Since the Start of the 2006-07 Season

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W-L-OTL. . . . . . . . . .GAA. . . . . . . . . . . . SvPct
Luongo. . . . . . . . . . .93-56-17. . . . . . . . . . 2.31. . . . . . . . . . . . .920
Others. . . . . . . . . . . .9-9-2. . . . . . . . . . . .2.68. . . . . . . . . . . . .903

Luongo’s impact on a game is especially evident when his team doesn’t play well. Prior to his arrival in Vancouver, the goaltender turned in an impressive performance nearly every night to keep the lowly Panthers in games. He regularly ranked among the league leaders in save percentage during his Florida years, despite playing on sub-.500 teams and consistently facing high shot totals.

In each of his final two seasons in Florida, Luongo led the league by a large margin in shots faced. Over his last three seasons with the Panthers, 2002-03 through 2005-06, he was in net for nearly 7,000 shots, which were at least 1,000 more than all other goaltenders.

Luongo’s Final Three Years with Florida Panthers, 2002-03 through 2005-06

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W-L-T-OTL. . . . . . . . GAA. . . . . . . . . . . . .SvPct
Luongo. . . . . . . . . . .80-89-23-9. . . . . . . . .2.70. . . . . . . . . . . . . .921
Others. . . . . . . . . . . .9-18-7-5. . . . . . . . . 3.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . .900

The difference in wins and losses was less significant playing for the struggling Panthers, but any team is going to be better with Luongo on the ice.

In Vancouver’s first game without Luongo Monday night, backup goaltender Curtis Sanford faced the Detroit Red Wings, who are second in the league in goals per game with 3.65. Sanford gave a Luongo-like performance. The Canucks were outshot 34-24, but came away with a 3-2 overtime victory on a power-play goal by Daniel Sedin.

Sanford, who has posted three wins in the last five days, has a 2.33 GAA and .919 save percentage in five appearances this season. Those are solid numbers, but now he’ll be asked to carry the load for the Northwest Division’s first-place club.

“We’re rallying around each other,” Sanford said after the win. “We have each other’s back out there and we’re going to find a way to get through all this.”

The Canucks got it done Monday night, improving to 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. That doesn’t mean holding onto first place will be easy.

Vancouver has a home-and-home series with division rival Calgary this week. The second game kicks off a seven-game road trip that includes stops at Detroit, Minnesota, Colorado and Edmonton. All four Northwest Division foes will get a rare reprieve from one of the game’s best goaltenders.