Some nights, you can see the shape of the game long before it settles in. Game three of this road swing had that feel almost immediately. The Vancouver Canucks rolled into Sunrise to play the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, riding the buzz of the previous night’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. There was good energy, crisp puck movement, all the things that make you think a tired team might have one more push in them.
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For the first 10 minutes, they did. The Canucks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and watching the game, you wondered if they might ambush the Panthers the same way they surprised the Lightning. They were snapping pucks around. They tested the Panthers’ great goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and even made him look human. It looked like they might steal another one.
Then the Canucks legs started to go. The final score was 8-5, Panthers.
Florida’s the kind of team that smells fatigue like sharks smell blood. One loose puck becomes a rush, one missed assignment becomes a scramble, and the whole ice tilts before you can catch your breath. By the time the Panthers had rattled off five goals, it was clear where this one was headed. Vancouver was chasing the game, chasing their lungs, and chasing a rested team with plenty of bite.
Item One: Give the Canucks Credit: They Wouldn’t Quit
For all the chaos, for all the fatigue, give the Canucks credit. For a team searching for its identity, it didn’t pack it in. Down 5-2 early in the third, they punched back. Elias Pettersson (the forward) found a corner, Filip Hronek wired a power-play equalizer, and for a moment, fans had to wonder if this exhausted group might drag itself to at least a point.
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But there’s only so much push a tired team has. The Panthers’ Sam Bennett tipped one home, Seth Jones added his second power-play goal, and that was that. No collapse, no no-show—just a loss that could be blamed on the schedule. A tired team running into a hungry one.
Still, the effort in that third period probably tells you more about this group than the final score ever will.
Item Two: Elias Pettersson Upped His Game and Lifted the Offense
For last season’s Canucks fans, Pettersson was a mystery. It was almost as if he were hiding an undisclosed injury. This season, although he’s not quite a point-a-game player (19 points in 21 games), you have the feeling he’s going to get there.
Last night, he was one of the Canucks’ top players. He scored two goals and helped shift the game’s momentum. Both goals came at times the Canucks desperately needed something to believe in.
Pettersson is quietly heating up. He’s stringing together multi-point nights and playing with the kind of sharpness that suggests he’s finding his old rhythm again. Vancouver doesn’t even make this game close without him. No point for the Canucks, but a lot of push from their best forward.
Item Two: Captain Quinn Hughes Remains Calm, No Matter the Storm
Some players rack up assists, and then there’s Quinn Hughes. He makes the game look like he has it on a string, even when the rest of the bench is wobbling. He racked up three more helpers last night and spent the game working hard to control the tempo. Even after missing another game with an injury, he didn’t miss a beat.
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He’s now up to 20 points in 16 games, which is second among NHL defensemen. There’s no smoke and mirrors from Hughes. Game after game, he’s dictating play and settling things down. Last night, he gave his tired team a fighting chance long enough to make things interesting. When everything goes wild, Hughes remains the calmest man on the ice.
Item Three: Jiri Patera Got Thrown Into the Fire
It wasn’t an easy start for Jiri Patera, who was appearing in his ninth NHL game (he played eight with the Vegas Golden Knights a few seasons ago), and starting his first with the Canucks. Facing the plight of a backup goalie, Patera got the start on the second half of a back-to-back, facing a Florida team that turns mistakes into goals faster than almost anyone.
Seven goals against looks rough in the box score, but Canucks fans who were watching have to know better. Patera let in five goals on the power play and faced broken defensive coverage all night, but the 26-year-old still flashed one absolutely ridiculous save that kept things from getting even more sideways.
This game won’t define him. He was in a tough spot, and he battled. With back-to-backs on the horizon, the next two weekends, he’ll get more chances. He isn’t Thatcher Demko, but he wasn’t horrible either.
Item Four: Conor Garland Faced an Unfortunate Setback
Just as Conor Garland was heating up with two goals in six games since returning from his earlier absence, he found himself back on the shelf. He’s day-to-day with an undisclosed issue and not expected to miss significant time, but it’s another bump in a season that hasn’t given him many smooth stretches.
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His absence forced a shuffle: Kiefer Sherwood jumped onto the top line, and the newly-acquired David Kämpf drew in for his Canucks debut. Vancouver will miss Garland’s motor until he returns; he stirs a lot of momentum shifts that don’t show up on the scoresheet.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
If there’s one thing to watch heading into the next stretch, it’s how this team handles the workload. Back to backs are coming, bodies are banged up, and the schedule isn’t easing. The Canucks showed fight in Florida—they didn’t quit, even when their legs did. If they can bank a few points while they heal and catch their breath, this rough patch might not linger.
Kampf’s impact on the game last night wasn’t negligible. He played just under five minutes shorthanded and took 15 faceoffs, winning 11 of them. It was a challenging game to judge, but you can see the Canucks’ plans for him.
