The Vancouver Canucks led most of the game against the Florida Panthers, besting them 5-2 at Rogers Arena.
Head Coach Adam Foote saw contributions throughout the lineup and said the team has been consistent over the last handful of games, and that sustained effort helped them get the win tonight.
“A lot of good things happened. Special teams were good, they [Florida] always play a physical game, and our guys didn't back down, and they were getting engaged. It was a good game,” Foote said.
Forward Elias Pettersson finished the game with two goals, reaching the 200 career goals mark. Pettersson is the 10th player in club history to reach that milestone. Foote said Pettersson has been putting in extra work and has taken ownership of his game.
"The next couple shifts after he got that goal, you could just see a little bit more pace [in his game]. And then he wanted to shoot, and it was nice to see,” Foote said.
Pettersson has been working on keeping his game simple and said seeing one go in made him feel more confident.
“It was definitely nice to see two go in. I’ve been trying to simplify and shoot more, and I'm glad two went in tonight,” Pettersson said.
“We're just trying to get better every single day and game, and I think today, hopefully, can propel and grow from this and be a little better for next game.”
Brock Boeser recorded three assists in the first period and is the 12th forward in franchise history to have three assists in the first period of a game. Boeser talked about how his line has been gelling and how Marco Rossi has been able to get on a roll over the last few games.
“Just getting more comfortable with our systems; sticking with the same linemates, I think that's helping. I thought our first few games together, me, him and Liam weren't great, and then the last few I thought we've been a lot better and creating chances in reading off each other. I think the chemistry is coming,” Boeser said.
In Kevin Lankinen’s 200th game, he turned aside 21 of 23 shots he faced. Lankinen said he liked how the young defencemen played, and he sees the progress they’re making as a group.
“They're getting better every single game, and I try to guide them as much as I can, just be loud out there and even off the ice when we're talking, and making sure we're doing the right things, so we're going on a good path,” Lankinen said.
Goals
In the first period, forward Elias Pettersson scored on the power play, with a rocket one-timer near-side over Sergei Bobrovsky’s shoulder.
