5 Takeaways: Canucks Pull Away Late in Win Over Panthers

VANCOUVER - The Florida Panthers tied the game late in the third period but couldn't get the goal support they needed in a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Sunday.

After Frank Vatrano tied the game 1-1 at 5:29 of the third period, Ben Hutton put the Canucks back on top less than three minutes later with a one-timer off a long rebound that made it 2-1 at 7:20. From there, Vancouver added three more late goals, including a pair of empty netters.
Panthers coach Bob Boughner said Hutton's goal was the turning point of the game.
"We just couldn't find the next one in a 1-1 game," Boughner said. "[Hutton's goal] was just off a simple faceoff; D down the wall, and they slung the puck and it went off a guy's stick in the backdoor. Missed assignment in the faceoff circle. It really was the difference in the game. After that it's goalie pulls, it's trying to catch up. It's disappointing."
The Panthers (17-19-8) never had more than 10 shots in a period against the Canucks, as the offense struggled to find its footing throughout most of the game. After the first two periods, Florida had registered just 15 shots on goal and eight scoring chances, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Vancouver finished with advantages in both shots on goal (36-24) and shot attempts (64-49).
"I think we were being too stubborn, you know, kinda over-passing," Vatrano said of the offense. "We talked about before the game that their goalie doesn't handle pucks well, so we had to put more pucks to the net. I think we did more of that in the third, but we came up on the short end."
Roberto Luongo made 31 saves for the Panthers, including numerous highlight-reel stops.
"It's going to take a little more desperation," Luongo said when asked what it will take for the Panthers to get back in the win column. "It starts with me on out. We've got to be on top of our game every night. That's how you break out of something like that."
Here are five takeaways from Sunday's loss in Vancouver…

1. A PHYSICAL FIRST

The first period had no goals, but it did have 14 penalty minutes.
In a game that was expected to be chippy from the start, the Canucks got things started when Jake Virtanen punched Jonathan Huberdeau during a scuffle in front of Florida's net, earning the Canucks winger a trip to the penalty box and two-minute minor penalty for roughing.
From there, things escalated until Micheal Haley, who led the NHL with a career-high 22 fights last season, dropped the gloves and went toe-to-toe with former Panther and current Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who holds a distinct size advantage over Haley at 6-foot-5.
But in the marathon brawl that ensued, each fighter had a takedown before officials intervened.
Florida ranks tied for 10th in the NHL with nine fights this season, according to HockeyFights.com.

2. LUUU

If you closed your eyes, Rogers Arena almost felt like BB&T Center at times.
Big save after big save, the Canucks crowd rained "Luuu" chants down upon Luongo, paying homage to one of the franchise's all-time fan favorites. In between his two stints with Florida, Luongo spent parts of eight seasons in Vancouver, winning a franchise-record 252 contests.
The first "Luu" came with 13:29 left in the first period, when Luongo robbed Brock Boeser with a glove save on the doorstep.
"It's always nice to come back here," Luongo said of his warm reception. "The fans are great. It's always special for me to come back here. I spent eight years here, so it'll always hold a special place in my heart."

Luongo finished with 31 saves on 34 shots, including six stops on seven high-danger chances.
"Just trying to keep the guys in it," Luongo said. "We were able to tie it up in the third. And then they got a rebound goal off the faceoff, and that was it. We couldn't recover after that."

3. KILLER CATS

Florida's penalty kill is beginning to match its lethal power play.
With a 2-for-2 night against the Canucks, the Panthers improved to 17-for-18 on the penalty kill over their last eight games. And, in actuality, the one goal surrendered during that span should come with an asterisk, as it was scored with the goaltender pulled in Friday's loss to Calgary.
Since Dec. 29, Florida's penalty kill is tied for fourth in the NHL with a 94.4 percent success rate.
In that eight-game span, Mike Matheson has logged a team-leading 19:36 of shorthanded ice time, including 2:01 against in Vancouver on Sunday night, which led all Panthers defenseman.

4. FRANKIE FINDS TWINE

This won't register as a power-play goal, but it's about as close as you can get to one.
Just one second after their man advantage expired, Vatrano took a centering pass from rookie center Henrik Borgstrom and flipped a backhand shot from the slot over Jacob Markstrom to get the Panthers on the board and make it a 1-1 game at 5:29 of the third period.
"It's obviously good to score, but at the end of the day you want to win," Vatrano said. "Winning's more important than scoring goals. I'm just trying to help my team every single night. We've just got to win."

In the midst of a career campaign, Vatrano has become one of Florida's most-reliable secondary scorers, setting new career marks in both goals (13) and points (20). Heating up as of late, the 24-year-old winger has tallied three goals and two assists over his past seven games.

5. BJUGY'S BACK

After missing the last 16 games, Nick Bjugstad finally returned to the ice for the Panthers.
Out of the lineup with an upper-body injury since Dec. 6, the 26-year-old forward split time on the first and third line against the Canucks in his return, registering three shots on goal, three hits and a blocked shot -- one that likely saved a would-be goal -- in 12:46 of ice time.
Bjugstad's best scoring chance of the night came less than two minutes into the third period, when Markstrom robbed him of a goal with a glove save on a rebound attempt from the doorstep.
"For his first game back I thought he was moving well," Boughner said. "I thought he got a little tired throughout the game. He started off the game with a 2-on-1, an 'A' chance. He got robbed on an 'A' chance there in the third period that could have put us up. He was around the puck all night. I was fine with it."
In 28 games this season, Bjugstad has registered four goals and six assists.
"I've gone through a decent amount of injuries in my career and they're never fun, sitting out and watching," Bjugstad said prior to puck drop. "You just want to be a part of it with the boys. Win or lose, you want to be on that bench with them. It's tough. It felt like a long time."