VANCOUVER – The Florida Panthers will look to get back into the win column when they drop the puck against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
In second place in the Atlantic Division at 17-9-2 after having their three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-0 loss at Seattle on Tuesday, the Panthers have made a habit out of bouncing back this season, going 8-2-0 following losses.
“In our losses, I think we’ve understood the parts of our game that we need to improve,” Florida head coach Paul Maurice said following this morning’s skate. “The players have done a really good job of kind of gaining their focus back to do the hard things.”
In terms of lineup notes, the Panthers will be without Anton Lundell in Vancouver as the third-year center is “a little under the weather” right now. Filling in, Jonah Gadjovich will slot back into the lineup. On the back end, Dmitry Kulikov will replace Uvis Balinskis.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod.
Owning a 13-7-1- record, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has been providing the Panthers with a steady presence in the crease all season. That being said, he’s been especially strong lately, going 4-1-0 with a .927 save percentage in his last five starts.
The NHL’s reigning Third Star of the Week, Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (17) and points (37). A native of North Vancouver, he certainly seems to love playing his hometown team, as evidenced by his 11 goals in 15 career games against the Canucks.
“A very, very bright hockey player,” Maurice said of Reinhart.
In addition to playing Selke Trophy-worthy defense, Aleksander Barkov ranks second on the team with 28 points, including registering three goals and three assists in his last four games. Carter Verhaeghe sits third in points (23) and second in goals (13).
After having the final four years of his eight-year contract bought out by the Canucks last summer, tonight’s game will mark Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s return to Vancouver.
Joining the Panthers on a one-year deal after the buyout, the 32-year-old defenseman has been simply fantastic since the change of scenery. In 28 games, he leads Florida’s blueliners with seven goals while averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time per tilt.
“It feels good,” Ekman-Larsson said of his return. “We loved everything about the city. It’s obviously a little bit weird to come back and be on this side, but overall it feels good.”
In second place in the Pacific Division at 19-9-1, the Canucks have won each of their last three games, including a 4-1 win over the Lightning in their last outing on Tuesday.
Brock Boeser led Vancouver with a hat trick against Tampa Bay, which moved him into a tie for first place in the NHL in goals with 21. Quinn Hughes chipped in three assists from the blue line, while Thatcher Demko stopped 28 of 29 shots in net.
Leading the NHL with an average of 3.83 goals per game, the Canucks are led up from by J.T. Miller, who paces the club with 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists). Leading all NHL defensemen in scoring, Hughes has accumulated 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists).
Elias Pettersson (37) and Boeser (35) have also crossed the 30-point plateau.
“Just getting back to the way we have been playing," Ekman-Larsson said when asked about the keys to beating the Canucks. "It’s hard work and keeping it simple. That’s where our focus is tonight. We’re playing against a good team. It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
Closing out their season series, the Panthers suffered a 5-3 loss to the Canucks in their first meeting on Oct. 21. After Reinhart lit the lamp twice in the third period to make it 3-3, Andrei Kuzmenko scored to put Vancouver back up with just under five minutes left.
The Panthers have won in each of their last two trip to Rogers Arena.
“They play hard, they skate hard, they move together as five,” Maurice said of Vancouver. “They’ve got some stretch in their game, but in a focused, determined way. This is going to be fast. We need to be ready right from the start, for sure.”
PREGAME QUOTES
“He’s smart. We have a handful of rules that we adhere to that because we don’t have too many of them to allow the team to play fast. He’s got the rules figured out, and now he can just go play. He’s done a great job and we also have some good players with him.” – Paul Maurice on Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s success with the Panthers
“He’s just a smart hockey player overall. He sees the ice very good and knows where to go. You can put him in any situation – PK, PP, 5-on-5, end of game. I think having a guy like that on your team helps a lot.” – Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Sam Reinhart
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk las logged 33 points (14G, 19A) in 34 career games vs. Vancouver.
- Since Nov. 20, Florida has posted a 92.1% penalty kill success rate over 11 games.
- The Panthers are surrendering just 2.40 goals against per game on the road.
- Florida owns an 8-1-1 record when Aleksander Barkov scores a goal this season.
- The Panthers rank second in the NHL with a 55.94 CF% at 5-on-5.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Ryan Lomberg – Eetu Luostarinen – Nick Cousins
Steven Lorentz – Kevin Stenlund – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Brandon Montour
Oliver-Ekman Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Dec. 7: F Josh Davies signed to a three-year, entry-level contract
- Dec. 3: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH
When: Thursday, Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
