J.T. Miller, Canucks sink Panthers in overtime
Vancouver's Quinn Hughes set up J.T. Miller for the game-winner 2:09 into overtime as the Canucks recorded their first win this season, edging the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.
Following a scoreless third period, Hughes slipped a pass back to Miller, who skated in from the right and zipped in his second tally of the season to put Vancouver in the win column for the first time in four games (1-1-2).
Hughes finished with a goal and an assist, and Teddy Blueger also scored for the Canucks. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen stopped 26 of 28 shots in his second start.
Vancouver defenseman Derek Forbort (personal reason) was out of the lineup, and Erik Brannstrom was called up from AHL Abbotsford and replaced him in his season debut.
Florida's Jesper Boqvist and Anton Lundell scored. Mackie Samoskevich recorded his first NHL point with an assist as the Panthers' two-game winning streak ended. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves.
Panthers left winger Eetu Luostarinen played in his 300th NHL game. Captain Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and fellow top forward Matthew Tkachuk (illness) each missed a fourth consecutive match.
In their first home game since raising a championship banner to the rafters on Nov. 8 in a 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins, the Panthers found themselves in a defensive-minded matchup right away. Each team generated just two shots in the first 10 minutes.
Blueger put Vancouver up at 11:42 when he went around the cage and backhanded in his second goal, which needed a review to show that it had crossed the goal line completely.
Just 11 seconds later, Florida answered as Boqvist tallied for the first time with the Stanley Cup champions, while Samoskevich collected a helper.
Less than three minutes into the second, Sam Reinhart collided with Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk, sending last season's 57-goal scorer to the home dressing room, though he returned in the period.
Hughes rifled home his first goal at 6:30 of the second period as Vancouver took its second lead. Florida challenged for a game stoppage on the faceoff, but it failed and the 2-1 score stood.
On the Panthers' first power play, with Filip Hronek off for cross-checking, Lundell wristed in his fourth marker from the right dot with one minute remaining in the middle period to even the score.
