5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 5, Canucks 1

VANCOUVER --After racing out to a 3-0 lead, the Florida Panthers kept their foot pressed firmly on the gas in an eventual 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
With the win, Florida improved to 11-9-4.
"We did a great job not just holding onto the lead], but building off it," Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "Everybody stepped up. Everybody contributed, but with three different lines scoring in the first it really just set up our night."
For a quick recap of the game, click
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To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. TRIPLE FOR TKACHUK

Tkachuk got the party started in Vancouver.
Breaking the ice late in the first period, No. 19 skated into the slot, collected a centering feed from Josh Mahura and lifted a backhand right into the top of the cage to make it 1-0 at 18:14.
Finishing with a goal and two assists, Tkachuk earned his 11th multi-point game of the season.

"We didn't sit back," Tkachuk said. "We didn't sit on the lead. They had their pushes in the second and in the third, but we did a great job of kind of giving it right back to them in the sense of just playing in their zone and having more shots, more chances."
Amassing a team-leading 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 22 games, Tkachuk has required the fewest games to record 30 points for a first-year Panther in the franchise's history, besting Pavel Bure's mark of 25 games set over parts of two seasons from 1998-99 into 1999-00.

2. FORSLING FINDS TWINE

The dish master was finally rewarded with a goal of his own.
Doubling Florida's lead just 35 seconds after Tkachuk's tally, Gustav Forsling fired a shot on net that caught a piece of a defender before sailing past Thatcher Demko to make it 2-0 at 18:49.

His third goal of the season, Forsling ranks third on the Panthers with 14 assists.
In addition to his goal, Forsling also recorded one blocked shot and one takeaway against the Canucks. Averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time per game, the 26-year-old ranks first among Florida's defensemen in takeaways (14) and third in blocked shots (27) this season.

3. LOMBERG CAPS IT OFF

Fast cars, fast goals.
Now you're speaking Ryan Lomberg's language.
Capping off a record-setting scoring spree for the Panthers late in the first period, "Lomberghini" made it 3-0 just 24 seconds after Forsling's goal when he cashed in on a juicy rebound at 19:13.
Setting a new franchise record, all three of Florida's goals came within a span of 59 seconds.

"I like our game right now," Lomberg said. "We're playing hard. We're sticking together and paying attention to details. It wasn't a particular toe drag or move [that sparked the three-goal outburst]. We're all moving as a unit and working hard."
Overall, the fourth line of Lomberg, Patric Hornqvist and Eric Staal was very productive in Vancouver. Over the 9:01 they shared the ice at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 17-9 in shot attempts, 6-2 in high-danger shot attempts and 9-4 in scoring chances, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

4. BENNETT BURIES TWO

Sam Bennett credited his teammates for doing the heavy lifting on this goal.
Extending the lead to 4-0 in the second period, Bennett finished off a slick tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe by sending a shot past Spencer Martin at 11:38.

"Chuky had a lot of patience coming down the wall," said Bennett, recalling the goal. "He was able to find Haggy back down, and he was able to find me. That was a pretty easy one for me."
Taking advantage of a turnover by the Canucks, Tkachuk helped Bennett find the back of the net again when he set him up for a goal with a pass through the slot to make it 5-1 at 11:11 of the third period.

"They play off each other," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Tkachuk and Bennett's chemistry. "I think Sam's got so much quickness in a straight line that he pulls people off Matthew. You just wait the puck out. He can hold onto a puck and find a hole. They've been really good together."
Carrying a strong November into December, Bennett has been better than a point-per-game player over his last 12 games, producing six goals and seven assists during that hot stretch.

5. ANOTHER WIN FOR KNIGHT

The offense kicked things off in Vancouver, but Spencer Knight closed things out.
Stopping all 17 shots he faced in the third period, the 21-year-old goaltender stood tall against a late push from the Canucks to finish with 32 saves and pick up his seventh win of the campaign.
"Every team has great players," said Knight, who now sits at 7-3-3 with a .919 save percentage this season. "The Canucks have a lot of high-end skill, so you knew they were going to make a push regardless. If you're up by one, two, three or four, it doesn't really matter because they're going to make a push. They have a lot of talent over there, so it was fun to play against them."
Of his saves, four were considered high-danger, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"What we haven't done recently for our goaltenders is give them an opportunity to have a big night," Maurice said. "We've had some games early in the year where we didn't allow a lot of shots, but allowed some high danger. I think there was volume there tonight, but the danger wasn't there as it's been in the past."
Improving his career record to 30-12-6, no goaltender in franchise history has reached 30 wins faster in a Panthers sweater than Knight.