VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Carson Soucy and Danton Heinen scored in the first period and Kevin Lankinen stopped 27 shots for his third shutout of the season and led Vancouver on Thursday night. The Canucks defeated the Florida Panthers 4-0.
Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser also scored for the Canucks, while Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger, Quinn Hughes and JT Miller each had two assists. It was Lankinen’s sixth shutout in his NHL career.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves for the Panthers, who were 6-0-1 in their last seven games but lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 25. Florida suffered a shutout loss for the first time this season.
Miller returned to Vancouver’s lineup after missing nearly four weeks for personal reasons.
takeout
Canucks: Defenseman Derek Forbort also returned to Vancouver’s lineup after many injuries and absences. All-Star goalie Thatcher Demko made his first start of the season on Tuesday, leaving defenseman Filip Hronek (lower body) as the Canucks’ only player on injured reserve.
Panthers: The offense doesn’t sputter much. Florida entered this game ranked fifth in the league with an average of 3.66 points per game. The Panthers also had the fifth-best power play (27.4%), but were held scoreless on a two-man advantage.
important moment
Lankinen was tested several times, including on the Panthers’ power play midway through the second period. He took Sam Bennett’s shot out of the air at 10:53 and held tight to preserve the scoreless game.
Main status
The Panthers outscored the Canucks 27-19, but struggled to maintain possession of the puck at times, committing 19 giveaways throughout the game.
to the next
The Panthers visit Calgary on Saturday night, while the Canucks host Boston.
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