"They're on good run, but I think we got some confidence out of last game, for sure," said Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling, referencing the team's 4-3 overtime win at Carolina on Saturday. "We beat one of the best teams in the league. We want to bring that into this game."
Helping the Panthers improve to 23-7-5 and move right up into first place in the Atlantic Division, Anthony Duclair scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Hurricanes, settling down a slick saucer pass from Jonathan Huberdeau before sending the puck into the back of the net.
Also contributing to the winning effort, Carter Verhaeghe scored a pair of goals, Huberdeau lit the lamp once, and Sergei Bobrovsky gobbled up 24 of 27 shots he faced in between the pipes.
Heading into the matchup, Carolina owned the top points percentage in the NHL.
"A great game," Duclair said afterwards. "We were expecting that. A huge road win for the boys. They're a great team. We know that. Playing against them last year, there were some good battles. We know exactly what to expect from them. … Not surprising that it went to extra time."
On a six-game point streak (5-0-1) since coming out of the NHL's pre-holiday pause due to COVID-19, the Panthers have scored at least four goals in each of those games. In that span, Huberdeau leads the team in points (13) and assists (10), while Duclair has the most goals (5).
With the rich essentially getting richer on the offensive side of the puck, the Panthers will be getting two key players back in their lineup against the Canucks as Sam Bennett (suspension) and Sam Reinhart (COVID protocols) will return to the ice after missing the last three games.
As for other lineup notes, Olli Juolevi, who was acquired by Florida in a trade with Vancouver in October, will be back on the blue line in place of Lucas Carlsson, and rookie Aleksi Heponiemi will suit up in his second straight game on the fourth line after a strong showing versus Carolina.
Owning a 16-3-3 record, Bobrovsky will make his fifth straight start.
"I've been just trying to make my game more adjustable for the NHL," said Heponiemi, a second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft. "You have to make quick decisions and skate fast all the time. That's been a big thing for me [in adjusting to the professional game]."
Despite sitting in seventh place in the Pacific Division with a record of 16-15-3, the Canucks have won 10 of their last 12 games while outscoring their opponents 36-21 during that stretch.
Since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the team's bench on Dec. 5, they've gone 8-0-1.
"He's a throwback, old school legend of hockey," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of Boudreau, who has coached nearly 1,000 games in the NHL. "He's a real fun guy. His enthusiasm is rubbing off on his group there. I've been around him enough, and you love to be around Bruce. He's a very positive, upbeat guy. He loves to play offensive hockey, and guys love playing that style. He's got them going, so it's going to be a challenge for us tonight."
J.T. Miller leads the Canucks in scoring with 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists), while Quinn Hughes sits in second with 28 points (two goals, 26 assists). Making a dent on the scoresheet in each of the last nine games, Miller has racked up three goals and 10 assists during that streak.
Following a 5-2 win at Seattle on Jan. 1, Vancouver had each of its next two games postponed due to COVID-19. Coming out of COVID protocols, forwards Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Jason Dickinson -- who have combined for 17 goals -- are all expected to return tonight.
Expected to man the crease for the Canucks, Thatcher Demko has posted an 15-11-1 record with a .920 save percentage, including going a perfect 7-0-0 over his last seven appearances.
"They're fast and they're skilled," Brunette said of Vancouver. "They're playing free hockey right now, and those are scary teams to play. We have to have a little bit of a check-first mentality against them. We're on home ice, so let's try and dictate the pace and [keep] playing the way we've played at home here."
Over their last 15 games against the Canucks, the Panthers have gone 8-5-2.
