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 goalie鈥檚 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 Vancouver鈥檚 lineup after missing nearly four weeks for personal reasons.
The loss ended Florida鈥檚 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."
鈥� Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks)
馃棧 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: It鈥檚 not often the Panthers鈥� offence sputters. Florida came into Thursday鈥檚 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 Panthers鈥� power play midway through the second. The netminder snatched Sam Bennett鈥檚 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
