FLA@VAN: Markstrom robs Bjugstad with glove save

VANCOUVER --Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves, and the Vancouver Canucks handed the Florida Panthers their sixth straight loss with a 5-1 win at Rogers Arena on Sunday.

Ben Hutton gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead at 7:20 of the third period on a one-timer off a rebound from low in the left circle. It was his first goal since Nov. 8 (30 games).
"I was pretty fired up, I won't lie," Hutton said. "It's been a while since I scored."
WATCH: [All Panthers vs. Canucks highlights]
Brock Boeser (17:43) and Jay Beagle (19:22) each scored into an empty net before Markus Granlund scored short side on Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo with 11 seconds left to make it 5-1.
"The way we played throughout the 60 minutes today I thought was really impressive," Markstrom said. "Guys stepped up when we really needed it."

FLA@VAN: Eriksson intercepts pass and lights the lamp

Frank Vatrano scored, and Luongo made 31 saves for Florida (17-19-8), which is 0-4-2 in the past six games.
"I was just trying to keep the guys in it and we were able to tie it in the third and they got a rebound goal off the face-off and that was it, we couldn't recover," Luongo said. "It's going to take a little more desperation. We have to be on top of our game every night, that's how you break out of this. It's going to take a team effort from the goaltender on out."
Loui Eriksson had a goal and two assists for Vancouver (21-21-5), which had lost three in a row (0-2-1).
"Our team game was phenomenal," Canucks coach Travis Green said. "We didn't really give them a lot of chances. I thought Luongo kept them in it the first two periods. Loved our game tonight."
Eriksson made it 1-0 at 12:32 of the second period. After intercepting a backhand pass from Panthers forward Mike Hoffman in Florida's zone, he skated in on a breakaway and waited for Luongo to go down before scoring from a sharp angle on the blocker side. It was his first goal in nine games.
"It hasn't come easy," Eriksson said. "All you can do is just work hard and just keep working and things will turn around. It was definitely nice to score that one."
Panthers coach Bob Boughner wasn't happy with the turnover, one of several in Florida's end.
"We talk about it all the time, composure and puck management and the first goal we have one man back and we try to backhand sauce it through our own slot area and they knock it down and it's 1-0," Boughner said. "Their forecheck was good, they were aggressive, and we weren't clean enough."
Markstrom made one of his better saves on the night with his glove on Nick Bjugstad 1:57 into the third period, but Vatrano tied it 1-1 at 5:29, taking a pass from Henrik Borgstrom while cutting into the slot and scoring on a backhand one second after a Panthers power play expired.
"It's obviously good to score, but at the end of the day, winning is more important than scoring goals," Vatrano said. "We did some good things in that third period and we need to build off that and keep moving forward. We have to get more and more wins, this is a big second half for us."

FLA@VAN: Hutton buries rebound to take lead in 3rd

They said it

"We had some guys, especially some of our big guys, have very average if not below-average games, and you can't win hockey games that way. [Roberto Luongo] was really good tonight, gave us a great performance, and some of the big boys had bad games and you can't win if your best players aren't your best players." -- Panthers coach Bob Boughner
"My job and his job are the same. If I let one in and he doesn't, their team wins. It doesn't say Luongo-Markstrom on the scoreboard there. You play for your team." -- Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom on if the win meant more coming against Luongo, whom Florida acquired for Markstrom as part of a four-player trade with Vancouver on March 4, 2014

Need to know

Bjugstad, who returned after missing 16 games with an upper-body injury, was stopped on a 2-on-1 early in the first period. … Canucks forward Josh Leivo returned after missing three games with back spasms. He was plus-1 in 9:32 of ice time. … Vancouver sent forward Adam Gaudette down to Utica of the American Hockey League.

What's next

Panthers:At the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, FS-F, NHL.TV)
Canucks:Host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, SNW, NHL.TV)

Eriksson, Markstrom lead Canucks past Panthers, 5-1