National Hockey League
Vancouver 2, Florida 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, January 20, 2017
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees: Chris Lee, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen: Trent Knorr, Brian Mach
Attendance: 18865

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Luca Sbisa's goal at 3:07 of the third period lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.

Sbisa put the Canucks ahead just over three minutes into the third period as he roofed a wrist shot from the slot during a scramble.

The Canucks (22-19-6) posted their second straight win and the Panthers (20-19-9) suffered their fourth loss in five outings.

Vancouver's other goal came from Henrik Sedin, who picked up his 1,000th NHL career point on the play.

Jaromir Jagr scored for the Panthers.

Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 33 of 35 shots. Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller posted 31 saves on 32 shots.

The return of Luongo, a former Canucks player, was not enough to attract a sellout as several seats in prime seating areas remained empty. But Sedin's quest for his milestone still helped spark a raucous atmosphere not witnessed during many games at Rogers Arena this season.

Despite having mixed loyalties, fans revived the once familiar "Looo" whenever Luongo made a save and froze the puck, and one sign said Luongo was No. 1 in their hearts.

Sedin faced a deadline to log his 1,000th career point at home, because the game was the last one before a three-game road trip. The crowd held its collective breath whenever he came close to getting a point, especially in an entertaining but scoreless first period.

Luongo, who was shaken up briefly just after the eight-minute mark but stayed in, made several exceptional saves as the Canucks outshot the Panthers 11-6 in the first period.

Miller was also sharp as the Panthers still had dangerous scoring opportunities in spite of their few chances.

Jagr gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead on a power play 3:45 into the second period on a setup by former Canucks player Jared McCann.

But Sedin equalized less than two minutes later as he enjoyed his milestone moment. He beat Luongo on a forehand-to-backhand deke at 5:50 after taking a pass from his twin brother Daniel on an odd-man rush.

The play started with a quick breakout after a faceoff in Vancouver's end as defenseman Alex Edler, a fellow Swede and close friend of both Sedins, earned the second assist as he quickly passed the puck up the ice.

After the goal, all of Henrik Sedin's teammates mobbed him in one corner and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. As he was skating out of the corner back to the bench, Luongo congratulated him.

Some fans also threw hats on the ice, contravening the tradition of doing so only after a player scores three goals in a game. Shortly thereafter, during a TV timeout, a video tribute to Henrik Sedin was played on the scoreboard screen.

Despite Henrik Sedin's heroics, the Panthers outshot the Canucks by a whopping 21-9 margin in the second period.

On Sbisa's winning goal, Henrik Sedin did a lot of work to get the puck out of the corner and in front of the net, but no assist was awarded. Sedin was denied a second assist when Daniel hit the post on an empty net with Luongo pulled for an extra attacker in the final minute.

NOTES: Henrik Sedin had his first-ever NHL point against the Panthers on Oct. 6, 2000. Trevor Kidd, now retired, was in goal for Florida at the time while Luongo, then in his first stint with the club, was on the bench as his backup. ... A large contingent of fans, some bearing homemade signs, crammed the Panthers' end during pregame warm-up to watch Luongo. There were more fans in the Panthers' end than Vancouver's end. ... McCann played his first game against Vancouver since being traded by the Canucks to Florida during last summer. The Canucks drafted McCann 24th overall in 2014, but he lasted just one season with them. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson, the prime acquisition from Florida in the deal, is out of the Vancouver lineup with a wrist injury. ... D Jordan Subban, 21, was among Vancouver's healthy scratches after being promoted from Utica of the AHL a day earlier. Subban, a second-year pro, has yet to play an NHL game. He is the younger brother of Nashville Predators star D P.K. Subban.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Vancouver
Jaromir Jagr 1 Points Luca Sbisa 1
Jaromir Jagr 1 Goals Luca Sbisa 1
Jonathan Marchessault 1 Assists Alexander Edler 1
Jaromir Jagr 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Roberto Luongo .938 Save Percentage Ryan Miller .971
Roberto Luongo 30 Saves Ryan Miller 34
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 35 1 1-3 1-1 2 32
Vancouver 32 2 0-1 2-3 6 29
Upcoming Games
  • Vancouver will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Canucks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .440 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Panthers have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .519 after a loss.