Panthers Race By Canucks

     The Florida Panthers picked up a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at FLA Live Arena. It was the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Panthers, who are 19-3-0 at home this season. The Canucks, who have not played a contest in nine days, lost their first game in regulation under new head coach Bruce Boudreau and are 8-1-1. 

     Florida(24-7-5) rocketed out to a 2-0 lead just seven minutes into the game. Anton Lundell slid the puck from the top left circle into the right corner and Frank Vatrano cycled it around to the right point. Aaron Ekblad fired a slap shot from the top of the zone by Thatcher Demko for his 10th goal of the season at the 5:18 mark. 

     The Panthers had a two-goal lead at 6:24. Aleksander Barkov passed the puck from the right corner to Radko Gudas on the right point. He released a wrist shot from the right point and Sam Reinhart redirected it in from the low slot. It was the 10th tally for Reinhart. 

     Vancouver(16-16-3) closed it to 2-1 with 8:29 left in the first. Brad Hunt pushed a pass from the left point to the left wing and Conor Garland went to the left corner and centered the puck. Jason Dickinson snapped a shot from the left circle past Sergei Bobrovsky for his third goal of the campaign. 

     In the second period, the Panthers scored twice in a 26-second span to go up 4-1. Anthony Duclair connected a pass from the low right circle to Ekblad at the blue line. He angled a pass to his left and Jonathan Huberdeau took a snap shot from the left circle which grazed off Reinhart in the blue paint for a power-play goal at 8:46. Huberdeau extended his point streak to six games and is tied in the NHL for assists. 

     It became 4-1 for the Cats at the 9:12 mark. Maxim Mamin pulled off a give-and-go play in the low left circle with Lundell. Mamin lifted in a backhand shot from the left side of the crease for his fifth tally this year. 

     The Panthers made it a four-goal margin with 59.4 seconds left in the frame. Reinhart won a faceoff in his own left circle and Ekblad cleared the puck out of the zone. Barkov got to the puck at the Canucks blue line, came in on a breakaway and scored on a forehand shot for his team-leading 15th goal this season. It was Barkov's third shorthanded goal in the last six contests. He passed Pavel Bure for fourth in Panthers franchise history with his 10th shorthanded goal with Florida. 

     The Canucks cut the deficit to 5-2 at the 4:34 mark of the third period. Former Panther Juho Lammikko compiled his second tally with his new team as he put in a backhand shot from the top of the crease.