Yahoo Sports Canucks Gameday Preview #28: A Chance To Sweep The Defending Stanley Cup Champions
The Vancouver Canucks (14-8-5) continue their homestand on Thursday when they welcome the Florida Panthers (18-9-2) to Rogers Arena on Thursday. Vancouver will be looking for the season sweep of the defending Stanley Cup Champions as the Canucks defeated the Panthers 3-2 in overtime earlier this season. With a victory, Vancouver would snap their two-game slide while beating a projected 2025 playoff team at home for the first time this season.
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A matchup against Florida might be exactly what the Canucks need to get out of their recent funk. The Panthers currently sit at the top of their division and enter Thursday's game on a three-game winning streak. If Vancouver can control the puck and ensure their passes are crisp and on target, they could be skating away with a valuable two points.
Players to Watch:
Tyler Myers:
Tyler Myers has elevated his game in Filip Hronek's absence. He is currently on a two-game point streak and has played over 21 minutes in each of his last five games. If the Canucks are going to skate away with a victory, they will need Myers to be on his game both in the offensive and defensive zone.
Sam Bennett:
Few players in the NHL are as annoying to play against as Sam Bennett. The former Calgary Flames forward is up to 26 points in 28 games and sits tied for second on the Panthers with 67 hits. If Vancouver is not careful, he could run them over both on the ice and on the scoresheet.
Vancouver Canucks Projected Lineup:
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser
Joshua-Suter-Garland
Höglander-Blueger-Boeser
Räty-Sasson-Heinen
Hughes-Myers
Soucy-Juulsen
Brännström-Desharnais
Demko
Lankinen
Top 5 Scoring Leaders (Goals, Assists, Points):
Vancouver Canucks (14-8-5):
Quinn Hughes: 7-25-32
Elias Pettersson: 8-18-26
Conor Garland: 8-17-25
Jake DeBrusk: 13-9-22
Brock Boeser: 7-11-18
Florida Panthers (18-9-2)
Sam Reinhart: 19-20-39
Matthew Tkachuk (24 Games): 10-20-30
Aleksander Barkov (21 Games): 9-20-29
Sam Bennett: 13-13-26
Carter Verhaeghe: 8-15-23
Game Information:
Start Time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
