Kevin Lankinen stopped all 27 shots he faced on Thursday, backstopping the host Vancouver Canucks to a 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers.
The win marked the Finnish goalieB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s third shutout of the season and sixth of his NHL career.
Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser, Danton Heinen and Carson Soucy scored for the Canucks (15-8-5), while Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger, Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller each contributed a pair of assists.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves for the Panthers (18-10-2), who lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 25.
Miller returned to VancouverB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s lineup after missing nearly four weeks for personal reasons.
The loss ended FloridaB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s seven-game point streak (6-0-1) and marked the first time this season the defending Stanley Cup champions were held without a goal.
"Played through 60 minutes. PP was good. PK was even better. We kind of just shut them down. Proud of the boys."
B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·” Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks)
🗣 Kevin Lankinen with Rinkside Reporter Olivia McDonald after recording his third shutout of the season in the win over Florida!
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Defenceman Derek Forbort also returned to a Vancouver lineup that has been riddled with injuries and absences this season. All-star goalie Thatcher Demko made his first start of the campaign on Tuesday, leaving blueliner Filip Hronek (lower body) as the lone Canuck on the injured-reserve list.
Panthers: ItB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s not often the PanthersB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™ offence sputters. Florida came into ThursdayB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s game ranked fifth in the league in goals for with an average of 3.66 per game. The visitors also entered with the fifth-best power play in the NHL (27.4 per cent) but went scoreless on two man-advantages.
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KEY MOMENT
Lankinen was tested several times, including a PanthersB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™ power play midway through the second. The netminder snatched Sam BennettB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s shot out of the air at the 10:53 mark and held on tight to preserve the clean sheet.
KEY STAT
The Panthers outshot the Canucks 27-19 but struggled at times to hold on to the puck, committing 19 giveaways across the game.
UP NEXT
Canucks: Continue a six-game homestand on Saturday when they host the Boston Bruins.
Panthers: Visit the Flames in Calgary on Saturday.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press