Canucks sport day: Particulars matter in opposition to Stanley Cup finalists Florida Panthers

The Canucks face the Florida Panthers Saturday, as massive a check as they’ve confronted within the first 4 video games of the season.

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Vancouver Canucks at Florida Panthers

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When/the place: Saturday, 4 p.m., Amerant Financial institution Area

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TV: Hockey Night time in Canada. Radio: Sportsnet 650

The thrill: The Canucks performed 2/3rds of a stable street sport on Thursday in Tampa. The difficulty was their second interval was a catastrophe and so they made brutal errors at essential moments. Florida is limping somewhat, however stays a potent drive. The Canucks have misplaced two straight, and you’ll wager they don’t need to lose a 3rd in a row. Florida went 28-17-5 at residence final season. It was no accident they have been Stanley Cup finalists final June.

canucks
J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning battle for the puck first interval throughout a sport at Amalie Area on October 19, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. Photograph by Mike Ehrmann /Getty Photographs

The historical past: The Panthers beat up on the Canucks final December, 5-1, a sport the place Thatcher Demko harm his groin. He was on the shelf for 2 months. Within the rematch in Florida in January, the Canucks performed properly sufficient however nonetheless misplaced 4-3. That was one among Bruce Boudreau’s final video games in cost. With Rick Tocchet in cost, the Canucks have been a a lot better defensive group and so they have proven glimpses of excellent defending this season, however stay a piece in progress.

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demko
Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks is helped off the ice after an damage throughout the first interval in opposition to the Florida Panthers at Rogers Area on December 1, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Photograph by Derek Cain /Getty Photographs

The hope: The Canucks have been brutal on Tuesday. They have been higher on Thursday. They need to get again within the successful column on Saturday.

The concern: The positives they’ve proven quantity to nothing and so they stay caught in impartial, struggling to regulate the sport the way in which they should.

The highest weapons: Elias Pettersson is tied for the league lead in factors with 8. Brock Boeser has 5 targets. J.T. Miller has six factors. Quinn Hughes is averaging three pictures per sport. Florida is led in scoring by Sam Reinhart with six factors, whereas new signing Evan Rodrigues has 5. However neither Matthew Tkachuk nor Sacha Barkov have scored a objective but this season, so look out.

The wounded: Canucks: Ilya Mikheyev (knee, IR), Teddy Blueger (ankle) and Guillaume Brisebois (concussion, LTIR). Panthers: Brandon Montour (Shoulder LTIR), Aaron Ekblad (Shoulder, LTIR), Sam Bennett (lower-body)

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The quote: “There’s pressures, there’s second, you’ve obtained to ensure you’re in the precise spots.” — Rick Tocchet, after Thursday’s 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. That’s a well-known chorus from the coach. Errors occur, however don’t preserve making the identical ones.

tocchet
Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet blows a whistle throughout the opening day of the NHL hockey workforce’s coaching camp, in Victoria, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Photograph by DARRYL DYCK Darryl Dyck /THE CANADIAN PRESS

The lineup:

Forwards

• Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Garland

• Di Giuseppe-Miller-Boeser

• Joshua-Suter-Beauvillier

• Hoglander-Lafferty-Studnicka

Defence

• Hughes-Hronek

• Cole-Myers

• Soucy-Friedman.

The prediction: After dropping their first two video games of the season, the Panthers come into this one having received two straight. The Canucks are the precise reverse run.

The Canucks performed properly sufficient on Thursday to say they’ve an opportunity on this one, however it is going to be a nail-biter, a 4-3 win for Vancouver.

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