The Canucks get their first crack at the Panthers tonight in Florida, opening a two-game season set that wraps with a Jan. 9 meeting in Vancouver.
This matchup has been a reasonably friendly one for Vancouver over the years. The Canucks are 23-14-6-4 all-time against Florida, and they’ve split things right down the middle on the road with a 10-10-1-2 mark. Lately, they’ve held the edge even more clearly, going 5-4-1 in their last 10 against the Panthers and 4-1-0 in the last five.
A few Canucks have made a habit of producing against Florida. Brendan Gallagher leads active Vancouver skaters with 24 points in 42 career games versus the Panthers, posting 13 goals and 11 assists.
Jake DeBrusk has been productive too, with 16 points in 22 career games. Elias Pettersson has 14 points in 13 games against Florida, while Brock Boeser has 13 points in 16 appearances.
Between the pipes, Kevin Lankinen has had strong results against the Panthers, going 8-3-2 with a 2.45 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and three shutouts in 13 career games. Leevi Meriläinen has had a tougher time in two career outings against Florida, with an 0-2-0 record, a 4.55 goals-against average and an .818 save percentage.
Meriläinen still brings one eye-catching number into the night: among goaltenders with at least 100 minutes played, he ranks second in the NHL in 5v5 save percentage at .958.
There are also a couple of recent scoring trends worth noting. Marco Rossi has five points in his last three games against Florida, and Pettersson has piled up multi-goal efforts in his last two games against the Panthers.
The last time these teams met, Vancouver handled business in a 5-2 win on Mar. 17/26.
Pettersson got the Canucks going with a power-play goal 3:49 into the first, then added another less than two minutes after Matthew Tkachuk briefly tied it. Rossi also scored in the opening period to send Vancouver into the first intermission up by two.
Sam Bennett cut the lead to one in the second, but Aatu Räty restored the cushion, and Drew O’Connor added insurance in the third. Kevin Lankinen stopped 21 shots in the win.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Will Want To See Chytils Next Step In Vancouver
Filip Chytil is on the verge of finally getting into the Vancouver lineup, giving the Canucks another look at a player whose arrival has been delayed by a shoulder injury. He has been out for the first eight games, but the club is now setting up for his season debut as it heads into a meeting with the Florida Panthers, a matchup that also comes with Leevi Merilainen and Akira Schmid projected to handle the crease.
To make room, Vancouver moved center Aatu Raty off the roster, a sign the team is ready to see what Chytil can add once he is healthy. For the Canucks, the timing matters because they are trying to get their center depth sorted while the schedule keeps rolling, and for Rangers fans still tracking Chytils path, this is the next checkpoint in a season that is only just starting for him. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Sent A Troubling Message About Aatu Rty
Aatu Rtys season has taken an early detour, with the young Canucks forward moving out of Vancouvers NHL picture for now and heading to Abbotsford. Rty appeared in just four games this season and saw limited ice time before the organization decided to shift him to the AHL, where he will join a center group that already includes Ty Mueller, Braeden Cootes and Chase Wouters.
For Rty, it is a notable step back after spending the entire 2025-26 season in the NHL, and it underscores how crowded the middle of Vancouvers lineup has become. He has been productive in the minors before, piling up 119 points in 169 career AHL games, but this move suggests the Canucks need him to reset and stay ready for another opening when it comes. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face A Risky New Test With Chytil Back In The Mix
Filip Chytil is on track to rejoin the Canucks after working his way back from a preseason shoulder injury, and his return arrives at a time when Vancouver is still sorting out its lineup. The move gives the club another look at a player it expected to lean on, but it also comes with the kind of shuffling that tends to ripple beyond one spot in the forward group and into the defensive mix as well.
Aatu Rty being placed on waivers shows how quickly the roster picture can change when a key center is ready to come back, and the Canucks are making other tweaks as they prepare for Florida. The Panthers arrive without Aleksander Barkov and Jacob Markstrom because of injuries, with Akira Schmid expected to start in goal, which adds another layer to a matchup already shaped by Vancouvers latest personnel test. [Read more 🡒]