Pettersson scores twice to reach 200 NHL goals, Canucks defeat Panthers

VANCOUVER -- Elias Pettersson ended a 20-game goal drought by scoring twice on the power play, including his 200th NHL goal, and the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

“It was definitely nice to see two go in,” said Pettersson, who hadn’t scored since Jan. 13, his longest slump in the NHL. “I’ve been trying to simplify and shoot more and I'm glad two went in.”

Marco Rossi had a goal and two assists, and Brock Boeser had three assists for the Canucks (21-38-8), who won for the third time in the past six games (3-2-1) after winning just three of the previous 26 (3-19-4). 

Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves for his first win in 10 starts.

“I was just happy to keep the puck out,” said Lankinen, who hadn’t won since Jan. 21. “Our team as a whole played a great game. ‘Petey,’ Brock, Marco, they stepped up in a big way and led the way.” 

Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, Carter Verhaeghe had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky, playing his 800th NHL game, made 17 saves for the Panthers (33-31-3), who have lost the first two of a four-game road trip after winning their previous three games. 

Coming off a 6-2 loss at the Seattle Kraken, Florida gave up a power-play goal early and was down 3-1 after the first period against the last-place Canucks. 

“It doesn't matter who you are playing, a team at home gets up, the crowd gets behind them, and then they really tighten it up defensively … it's hard to generate anything,” said defenseman Seth Jones, who returned to play 20:16 after missing 26 games with a collarbone injury. “We had some decent shifts in the third period, [Tkachuk’s] line, some action around the net but it's just too little, too late.”

Pettersson put the Canucks ahead 1-0 on a power play at 3:49 of the first period, one-timing a cross-ice pass from Rossi under the arm of a sliding Bobrovsky from the right dot for his first goal since Jan. 13.

“I'm just trying to find a seam, and he made a perfect pass in the wheelhouse,” Pettersson said.

Tkachuk tied it at 11:41 with a quick shot between Lankinen’s pads after a pass by defenseman Elias Pettersson bounced off Verhaeghe and right to Tkachuk unchecked in front of the net.

Pettersson made it 2-1 on another power play at 13:40, scoring his 200th goal in his 530th game with a wrist shot from above the right dot that deflected in off both Panthers defensemen.

“It was nice to get a bounce to go the right way, but I'm just trying to play the right way,” Pettersson said. “I know I still have a lot to do to be where I want to be, but definitely nice to see two go in.”

Pettersson is the 10th Canucks player, and the sixth-fastest Swedish player, to reach 200 goals. 

“That's means a lot,” Pettersson said. “Cool milestones to hit and hopefully I get to reach more.”

Pettersson, whose previous longest goal drought was 15 games last season, had with four shots on goal, his highest total since Jan. 19, and another one-timer that felled the Panthers forward who blocked it.

“A confident ‘Petey,’” Boeser said. “We need him to let that bomb go. And in the third period, even if it hurts a guy, that's fine. It creates stuff off that. I love to see it, and you got to keep bombing it.”

Rossi made it 3-1 at 17:46 after the Panthers failed to clear the defensive zone and Boeser won a puck battle along the right boards before making a backhand pass to Rossi alone in front of the net. He made a quick deke shot past Bobrovsky’s blocker as he reached out with a poke check attempt for his third goal and seventh point on a three-game point streak.

It was the first of three goals from players wide open in front of the Florida net. 

“The goals we gave up are just so unusual for us,” coach Paul Maurice said. “The two penalty kill (goals), we got that puck on our stick and we got to get those clears, but we left guys alone three times tonight in front of our net. I don't ever remember seeing that.” 

Sam Bennett, back after missing one game with an undisclosed injury, made it 3-2 off the rush at 11:28 of the second period after Tkachuk collected a cross-ice pass from Verhaeghe and waited for Lankinen to slide past his post before dropping the puck back to the left hash mark to leave Bennett with an open net.

Aatu Raty restored the two-goal lead at 14:27 after another turnover at the Florida blue line left him alone in front of Bobrovsky for a quick move from backhand to forehand and a shot past the blocker to make it 4-2. 

Drew O'Connor was also left alone in front to make it 5-2 at 14:25 of the third period, taking a pass from Linus Karlsson behind the net off his right skate and over to his stick for a quick shot past Bobrovsky’s blocker. 

“It was the battle in front of the net,” Bobrovsky said.

NOTES: Bobrovsky is the 18th goalie and first Russian to reach 800 NHL games, surpassing countryman Nikolai Khabibulin (799 games). “It's everything,” Bobrovsky said when asked what he still loves about playing at age 37. “It's off ice, it's on ice, it's the games, the emotions. You play in the NHL, you play hockey, it's a dream come true.” … Jones was limited to 16 seconds on the power play, which Maurice called game management. … Forward Nolan Foote, the son of Canucks coach Adam Foote, made his Panthers debut, playing 8:23.