Knight, Panthers defeat Canucks in shootout, spoil Martin's NHL return
Makes 27 saves for Florida; Vancouver goalie plays first NHL game since Feb. 1, 2017
By
Kevin Woodley
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
Martin made 33 saves for the Canucks (18-18-4). He was playing his fourth NHL game and first since Feb. 1, 2017 with the Colorado Avalanche because the Canucks top two goalies, Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak, are in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
"I wasn't as amped up as I thought I'd be given how much it meant to me to get a game," Martin said. "I just felt incredibly blessed to know how hard it is to get to this level. It's hard to put into one answer but it felt incredible to get an opportunity."
Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers (28-8-5), who swept back-to-back games after a 6-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
Aleksander Barkov scored the deciding goal in the third round of the shootout for Florida, which is 10-1-1 in its past 12 games.
"I thought it was a mature kind of road game," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. "Back end of a back-to-back, [new Canucks coach] Bruce [Boudreau] has his team playing pretty hard and fast right now, and they came after us."
Vancouver, playing its first home game since Dec. 14, lost for the first time in three games (2-0-1) and is 10-3-2 since Boudreau was hired to replace Travis Green on Dec. 5. The Canucks were also missing their top three scoring forwards in J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat and Conor Garland, who are in protocol.
"I hope it gives them belief that when you play the right way -- and we played the right way tonight -- that you can play with anybody," Boudreau said. "That's pretty well what the message is. We played a hungry team tonight."
The Canucks went ahead 1-0 on the power play at 16:18 of the first period when Tanner Pearson's high-slot deflection off a Quinn Hughes point shot glanced in off Alex Chiasson's jersey while he was screening Knight atop the crease. It was Chiasson's first goal in 12 games.
"In the first and second period I'm pretty sure we out-chanced them and we could have built the lead up, but just didn't," Boudreau said. "They've got championship-caliber players on their team and they came through at the end."
Knight kept the Panthers in it with 10 saves in the second period and robbed Brock Boeser on a cross-ice one-timer on a third-period power play at 9:29.
"Not scoring can be frustrating, but staying with it and then just waiting for a chance, that's the way it is sometimes," Knight said. "We're not going to score five goals every night. We've got to find different ways to win."
Reinhart tied it 1-1 on a power play 1:41 into the third period when Anthony Duclair's cross-ice pass deflected to him at the side of the net. It was the ninth point (three goals, six assists) in the past six games for Reinhart, and the sixth straight game Vancouver has given up a at least one power-play goal.
"We've got a lot of players that can make a play, and if we make a play we have a chance to win," Brunette said. "Made a play on the power play, which is huge on the road, and then Spencer really allowed us a chance to get the extra point."
After waiting almost five years for another shot in the NHL, Martin played well enough to earn another start Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.
"I love when American [Hockey] League players that have played there for a while get opportunities and show what they can do," Boudreau said. "For Spencer to come in and play a game like that against, I think the highest-scoring team in the League (165 goals), I thought it was really impressive."
NOTES: Martin is 0-2-2 in four NHL games. … Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau had an assist and leads the NHL with 40. It was his 55th point, second in the NHL to Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (56). … Florida center Sam Bennett missed the game and is day to day with a lower-body injury sustained against the Oilers. Joe Thornton took his spot in the lineup, played 12:14, had one shot and won six of eight face-offs (75.0 percent). It's the first game since Jan. 8 for the 42-year-old center after being scratched the previous five. … Demko and Miller could return Tuesday against the Oilers but none of the other Canucks in protocol are expected back on this three-game homestand. … Duclair has scored 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in his past 12 games.
