When Florida Panthers coach Peter Horachek informed his players during the team's morning skate Tuesday that the franchise had never won a game at Rogers Arena, goaltender Tim Thomas quickly piped up. Thomas, who won the Stanley Cup the last time he played in Vancouver, in the 2011 Cup Final, made sure he's no longer the only Florida player who can make that claim. Thomas made 27 saves through the end of overtime, and stopped all three shots in the shootout, lifting the Panthers to a 3-2 victory against the Canucks on Tuesday night. Jonathan Huberdeau scored the only goal in the shootout. It was Florida's first win in Vancouver since 1994, and the franchise's first-ever victory at Rogers Arena. The 39-year-old goalie forced Mike Santorelli wide, stuffed Alexandre Burrows and angled Chris Higgins' shot off the post in the shootout. But Thomas quickly deferred questions about his own success in Vancouver, pointing instead to the Panthers' first consecutive wins of the season and three victories in their past four games, including against the Colorado Avalanche and Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks. The outcome was in question after Jannik Hansen put Vancouver ahead by a 2-1 score 2:45 in the third period, the only time the Canucks have scored more than one goal in their past five games. But Shawn Matthias tied it six minutes later, and the Panthers carried the play late, failing to convert an overtime power play before Huberdeau won it in the shootout. After Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo sprawled out with the right pad to rob Huberdeau on the overtime power play, the Florida center got the goalie sliding to his left before tucking the puck just inside that same post in the shootout. It should have also been an important two points for the Canucks, who have lost five straight (0-3-2). But it was the Panthers who controlled the play early, with one apparent goal already waved off because of a quick whistle before Brad Boyes opened the scoring on a power play 3:43 into the game.
"It was easily our worst game of the year.
We didn't deserve a point," Canucks coach John Tortorella
said. "It's lack of respect, and we have no business to show
a lack of respect to any hockey team. In the situation we're in going
into tonight's game, I just don't know what we're thinking as far as
how we started the game. If it isn't for (Luongo), we're down [3-0 or
4-0] in that first period, we get squat for points. So, I can't
explain it."
Luongo finished with 34 saves, and kept it close
with a shorthanded breakaway save off Marcel
Goc midway through the first period, allowing Chris
Higgins to tie the game 3:26 into the second. Hansen finally
broke Vancouver through the one-goal barrier after a bad pass from
Florida forward Tomas Fleishmann from behind his own goal went
straight to Hansen in the high slot. Playing his second game after
missing 10 with a shoulder injury, Hansen fired a wrist shot past
Thomas at 2:45 of the third. Matthias tied the game from the high
slot nearly six minutes later, one-timing a nice cross-ice pass from
Bjugstad past Luongo's glove.
"They're never easy," Luongo
said. "As soon as you start thinking that, it's game over for
us. Especially given we lost four in a row, I don't understand why we
would think it would be easy."
That should go double against Thomas, who held the
Canucks to eight goals in the Cup Final and won the Conn Smythe
Trophy as playoff most valuable player in 2011. After being slowed by
a couple early injuries, Thomas is showing signs of his old form,
buoying the Panthers' confidence.
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