"After nine days between games, Roberto Luongo will return to the Vancouver Canuck nets Thursday night when his team faces the first overall Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040).

Luongo was in a ball cap Tuesday when backup Cory Schneider turned in a sublime 37-save performance against the Chicago Blackhawks. Prior to that, the Canucks were off for five days during their all-star break. Luongo beat the Wings 4-2 on Dec. 21, stopping 38 of 40 shots.

"They have world-class players," Luongo said, describing the Red Wings lineup. "They're very well-coached, they know what it takes to win and they're very disciplined. If we want to have a chance to win, we have to play our game plan to a 'T' and not give those guys any free passes.""