Florida Panthers Had Problems on This Western Roadtrip Last Year, Too

The Florida Panthers sent social media into a tizzy late Thursday night when they trailed by three going into the third period in Vancouver before losing 4-0 to the Canucks.

A year ago, on a Thursday night in Vancouver, the Panthers also lost to the Canucks.

The final score that night? 4-0.

That thumping came on the heels of a 4-0 loss (note a trend?) in Seattle and was the precursor to a run of four losses in five games.

Then the Panthers beat up on the Vegas Golden Knights in a game coach Paul Maurice credits for Florida finding its footing in a season that ended up with the Stanley Cup taking a swim in the Atlantic.

The Panthers have not come to that point where they need their season saved.

Yet, anyway.

Get the Inside Sccop on the Florida Panthers

Every. Single. Day.

Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now Today!

Thursday night may have just been a one-off, one of those games that just happen over the course of an 82-game season.

Florida came into the night with points in seven (6-0-1) straight games and led the Atlantic Division standings.

Things were going fine.

Vancouver has struggled at home all season and had lost its past two in front of their fans, but Thursday, the Canucks took advantage of a couple of turnovers which led to offensive coming the other way off the rush.

Three of Vancouver’s four goals came off their transition game. When the Panthers turned it over in the neutral zone, the Cancucks were all over it.

Aside from the first goal which Florida deflected, Vancouver’s goals came within 10 feet of the net.

“We gave up three rush goals, and we just don’t do that. Can’t do that,” Maurice said. “Those are all off our sticks, so we own that. Other than that, there was not much going on for either team. I thought they defended hard around their net. The rest of it was watching paint dry.”

The Panthers got into what hockey players like to call “those dirty areas,’’ as well; only Kevin Lankinen continued his mastery of the Panthers with 27 saves for his second shutout in as many starts against Florida.

Screen cap of shot heat map – NaturalStatTrick.com

Lankinen was the last goalie to shutout the Panthers. He did so last March while with the Nashville Predators.

By this time last season, the Panthers had been shutout four times.

Thursday was the first time Florida failed to score in this season.

It was, as Carter Verhaeghe said, was closer than the final score may indicate.

Vancouver’s first goal came on a point shot that Aaron Ekblad got a stick on — only that deflected it past Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Canucks took a 2-0 lead into the second on Danton Heinen’s redirect in front of the net.

Vancouver got its third goal of the night when Brock Boeser scored off his own rebound from the side of the net.

The Canucks salted the game away with 7:03 left on Jake DeBrusk’s tip-in of a power-play shot from Quinn Hughes.

“We pride ourselves on not giving anything off the rush,” Verhaeghe said. “They got three right off. It wasn’t our kind of game. But we’ll learn from it. … I think it was a closer game than the score, and they got some good bounces. But they made them.’’

Florida continues this five-game trip as the Panthers start heading east — ever so slightly.

The Panthers will reunite with Ryan Lomberg today and get him his hard-earned Stanley Cup championship game before playing the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.

Then comes the Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Oilers in Edmonton on Monday night.

“Anytime we play a team in their building, we’re going to get their best,’’ Verhaeghe said. “It’s a challenge being the defending Stanley Cup champions; everyone wants to beat us.’’

Especially the teams coming up.

ON DECK: GAME 31

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT CALGARY FLAMES

• When: Saturday, 10 p.m.
• Where: The Saddledome; Calgary, Alberta
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last Season: Even 1-1 
• This Season — At Calgary: Saturday. At Florida: March 1.
• All-Time Regular Season Series: Calgary leads 25-12-3, 3 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Monday at Edmonton Oilers, 8:30 p.m.