VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The hardest part of the first two periods for Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo was staying awake while all the action was at the other end of the ice.

He couldn’t really relax though in the opener of the Western Conference semifinal series because Nashville’s Pekka Rinne turned away most of what Vancouver fired at him.

Luongo made nine of his 20 saves in the third period to ensure Chris Higgins’ second-period goal stood up for a 1-0 win.

Thursdaythe second-round series with a 1-0 win over Nashville.

While Luongo only faced 11 shots in the first two periods, Rinne stopped 25 of 26 drives — several in spectacular fashion — to keep it close.

“Shots are 20-5, so you don’t want to give up a goal and all of a sudden it’s 1-0 for them,” Luongo said. “That’s your mindset. You focus on getting involved in the play and making sure you are sharp when you do get a shot.”

The toughest attempt Luongo faced was a short-handed breakaway 5:20 into the third period, but he patiently waited out Mike Fisher’s glove side shot and kept it out of the net.