Goal differential be damned. Team Canada appeared to call the dogs off in the third, in spite of the shots on goal being 13-6.
Luongo makes 23 saves for the shutout, which gives head coach Mike Babcock and his coaching staff and interesting choice for Canada's next game on Sunday against Team Finland.
The Finns are also 2-0 after beating Norway 6-1 this afternoon, setting up Team Canada's first real challenge of the tournament.
They easily have the best goaltending in Sochi and will likely start Tuukka Rask Sunday after playing backup Kari Lehtonen on Friday. Their roster has over a dozen NHLers who play an aggressive style, led by veteran Teemu Selanne in his sixth and final Olympic games.
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Shots after 40 minutes - Canada 31, Austria 17
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Jamie Benn takes a double minor for high sticking, but that does not stop the Team Canada freight train, as Ryan Getzlaf scores short-handed to make it 6-0.
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Jeff Carter has dominated the stats sheet in the second. He took a penalty 29 seconds into the period and has scored a natural hat trick to give Canada a commanding 5-0 lead.
The first two came 1:30 apart early in the middle frame and his third came at 14:33.
Shortly after, Corey Perry was awarded a penalty shot, but Starkbaum snagged the shot with a quick glove hand.
Head Coach Mike Babcock has been experimenting with different line combinations and John Tavares and Martin St. Louis are getting shifts with Crosby and Kunitz.
The Finns are up 5-0 over Norway, setting up an interesting showdown between likely undefeated teams on Sunday.
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After 20 minutes, Canada leads 2-0 on goals by Doughty and Weber. They are dominating territorially and on the shot clock, leading Austria 16-7.
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Midway point of the game, it's all Canada, as Shea Weber scores on a nice feed from Corey Perry to make it 2-0.
Of their five goals in the tournament so far, four have been scored by defensemen(Doughty and Weber with 2 each).
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Play even through the first five minutes. Austrian goalie Bernhard Starkbaum makes a great save on a John Tavares one-timer, but on the ensuing face-off Drew Doughty's point shot gets through and gives Canada an early 1-0 lead.
Jonathan Toews with the face-off win and only assist.
****Updates will be posted throughout the game****
Team Canada will have a slightly different look and lineup in their second game at the Sochi Olympics on Friday. The club will wear their alternate black third jersey and will insert three-time Olympic goalie Roberto Luongo, defenseman PK Subban and forward Matt Duchene against Austria, who are 0-1 in the tournament after being thrashed by Finland 8-4 on Thursday.
Luongo will replace Carey Price, who allowed one goal on twenty shots in a 3-1 victory over Norway on Thursday. Mike Smith will be the backup.
Price, Patrick Sharp and Dan Hamhuis are the scratches for Canada.
The expectation for Canada is to continue put up similar numbers that the Finns did against the Austrians, who have NHLers Thomas Vanek, Michael Grabner and Michael Raffl on their roster.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that Patrick Marleau will replace Sharp on the line with Jonathan Toews and Rick Nash, while Martin St. Louis will get a look on Sidney Crosby’s line with Chris Kunitz. Duchene moves on the line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and the fourth line will be a mix of Jeff Carter, John Tavares, Jamie Benn and Patrice Bergeron.
Subban is expected to be the seventh defenseman and that head coach Mike Babcock will not mess much with his defensive pairings, which means that the 2013 Norris Trophy winner could be limited to an odd regular shift and power play time.
Canada started slow against the Norwegians, who used their speed and familiarity with the Olympic sized ice surface to stay on somewhat of an equal footing, but as the game progressed, Canada’s talent advantage took over and the only thing close about the game at it’s conclusion was the score.
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