VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Carson Soucy and Danton Heinen scored in the first period, Kevin Lankinen stopped 27 shots for his third shutout of the season, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 on Thursday night.
Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser also scored and Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger, Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller each had two assists for the Canucks. Lankinen's shutout was the sixth of his NHL career.
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Vancouver Canucks' Dakota Joshua (81) jumps to avoid the puck while being checked by Florida Panthers' Dmitry Kulikov (7) as goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes the save during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Derek Forbort (27) and Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) collide as Canucks' Tyler Myers (57) watches during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a blocker save as Carson Soucy (7) checks Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser (6) and J.T. Miller (9) celebrate Boeser's goal against the Florida Panthers during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk (74) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk (74) scores against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Danton Heinen (20) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) as Nate Schmidt, left, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, left, stops Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves for the Panthers, who were 6-0-1 in their last seven games and lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 25. Florida was shut out for the first time this season.
Miller returned to Vancouver’s lineup after missing nearly four weeks for personal reasons.
Canucks: Defenseman Derek Forbort also returned to a Vancouver lineup that has been riddled with 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 lone Canucks player on the injured-reserve list.
Panthers: It’s not often the offense sputters. Florida came into the game ranked fifth in the league in goals with an average of 3.66 per game. The Panthers also entered with the fifth-best power play (27.4%) but went scoreless on two man-advantages.
Lankinen was tested several times, including a Panthers power play midway through the second period. He snatched Sam Bennett’s shot out of the air at the 10:53 mark and held on tight to preserve the clean sheet.
The Panthers outshot the Canucks 27-19 but struggled at times to hold on to the puck, committing 19 giveaways across the game.
Panthers visit Calgary on Saturday night, and Canucks host Boston.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Vancouver Canucks' Dakota Joshua (81) jumps to avoid the puck while being checked by Florida Panthers' Dmitry Kulikov (7) as goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes the save during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Derek Forbort (27) and Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) collide as Canucks' Tyler Myers (57) watches during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a blocker save as Carson Soucy (7) checks Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser (6) and J.T. Miller (9) celebrate Boeser's goal against the Florida Panthers during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk (74) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk (74) scores against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Danton Heinen (20) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) as Nate Schmidt, left, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, left, stops Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
