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Late Thursday night, the Florida Panthers trailed by three going into the third period in Vancouver before losing 4-0 to the Canucks, sending social media into a whirl late. The Panthers likewise lost to the Canucks on a Thursday night in Vancouver a year ago.
That evening the final score was 4-0. Note a trend: that hammering followed a 4-0 setback in Seattle and preceded a stretch of four losses in five games. Then the Panthers battered the Vegas Golden Knights in a game coach Paul Maurice credits for Florida finding its footing in a season that culminated in the Stanley Cup swimming in the Atlantic.
The Panthers have not reached that point where they must have their season preserved. Still, nevertheless. Thursday night might have been a one-off, one of those games that occurs throughout an 82-game season. Leading the Atlantic Division standings, Florida entered the night with points in seven (6-0-1) straight games.
Everything was operating as it should. Vancouver dropped its prior two in front of their supporters and battled at home all season; Thursday, the Canucks seized a few mistakes that resulted in offensive coming the other way off the rush. Of Vancouver’s four goals, three came off their transition game. The Cancucks scattered all over it as the Panthers turned it over in the neutral zone.
Apart from the first objective Florida avoided, Vancouver’s objectives fell within ten feet of the net.
We simply do not do; we gave up three rush goals. Not able to accomplish that, Maurice remarked. We own those as they are off our sticks. Apart than that, neither team had very much activity. I assumed they guarded fiercely near their net. The remainder of it watched paint dry.
Only Kevin Lankinen kept his mastery over the Panthers with 27 saves for his second shutout in as many starts versus Florida; the Panthers also entered what hockey players like to call “those dirty areas.” Lankinen was the last goalkeeper to shut out the Panthers. He accomplished this last March while a Nashville Predator. The Panthers had been shutout four times by now last season.
Thursday marked Florida’s first season failing score in this regard. As Carter Verhaeghe stated, it was closer than the final score may suggest. Only that deflected it past Sergei Bobrovsky, Vancouver’s first goal came on a point shot Aaron Ekblad landed a stick on. Danton Heinen’s redirect in front of the net sent the Canucks a 2-0 lead into the second.
When Brock Boeser scored off his own rebound from the side of the net, Vancouver acquired its third goal of the evening. With 7:03 left on Quinn Hughes’ tip-in of a power-play shot, the Canucks salted the game away.
“We take great satisfaction in not offering anything off-peak,” Verhaeghe remarked. “They started with three right off. Our kind of game was not this one. Still, we will grow from it. They had some good bounces, and I believe it was a closer game than the result. They did, though.
Florida keeps on this five-game journey while the Panthers begin their somewhat eastward voyage. Before playing the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, the Panthers will get Ryan Lomberg his hard-earned Stanley Cup title game and reunite with him today.
Then Monday night in Edmonton, comes the Stanley Cup Final rematch versus the Oilers. Verhaeghe added, “We will get their best anytime we play a team in their building.” Being the defending Stanley Cup champions is a challenge since everyone wants to surpass us.
particularly the teams that are scheduled.
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