The Vancouver Canucks’ eight-game homestand hits its fourth stop on Tuesday, when the Florida Panthers come to town for their only visit of the season.
Though the Panthers are two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, they have taken a step back this season and currently sit 11 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Canucks forward Marco Rossi comes into Tuesday’s game on a two-game goal-scoring streak and has picked up four points in those two games.
Drew O’Connor has been buzzing on the current homestand but has not found the back of the net yet. He leads the Canucks with 13 scoring chances through the first three games of the stretch of games at Rogers Arena.
Aatu Räty, Marco Rossi, and Elias Pettersson have all been winning 60% or more of their faceoffs on the homestand. Pettersson has the best faceoff winning percentage of the trio. He has won 24 of 34 faceoffs over the past three games, which is good enough for a 70.6% win-rate in the dot.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Panthers come into Tuesday’s game winning three of their last four games.
- Tuesday will be the second stop of the Panthers’ four-game road trip that sees them head to face the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
- Sam Reinhart leads Florida with 29 goals and 61 points this season.
- Sergei Bobrovsky has started 44 of their 66 games. He has an .878% save percentage, 3.03 goals-against average, and three shutouts this year.
- Brad Marchand has 27 goals and 27 assists this season, but is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury.
- Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad play on the Panthers’ top defence pairing.
- A.J. Greer leads the Panthers with 173 hits and 92 penalty minutes this season.
- They are 12-3-0 when scoring the first goal of the game on the road and 3-13-0 when the home team scores first.
- Their power play (19.7%) ranks 20th, and their penalty kill (82.2%)sits in 7th league-wide.
The Story: Öhgren Update
Head Coach Adam Foote spoke about how many of the young players are seeing their game come along over the past few weeks. One of those players he mentioned is Liam Öhgren, who the head coach praised for his speed on the forecheck.
Öhgren said that playing in the top-six alongside Brock Boeser and Marco Rossi is a great opportunity for him, and he is enjoying playing with two skilled players.
“I think we’ve been creating a lot of good chances and scored some goals. So that’s been a good run,” said Öhgren following Monday’s practice. “I just try to use my speed, use my physicality to win puck battles for them, and, yeah, try to also use my shot.”
The young Swedish forward spoke about his current linemate and long-time teammate, Rossi, finding his form and getting back to playing his game.
“He’s a great player, and he’s been really good every game,” said Öhgren. “I think it’s been tough for sure this year with the trade and injuries and all that stuff, but I think he’s been working hard to get back to his best form, and I think he’s close to that.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 3g-2a-5p
Marco Rossi: 2g-3a-5p
Teddy Blueger: 1g-2a-3p
Filip Hronek: 1g-2a-3p
Linus Karlsson: 1g-2a-3p
Max Sasson: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game is at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
