The Canucks had a real chance to make something out of a brutal night on the schedule, and for 50 minutes in Florida, they looked like they might pull it off.
On game five of a six-game road trip through some of the NHL’s toughest Eastern Conference opponents, Vancouver had its moments. They were outplayed in the first period, sure, but they didn’t cough up an early goal, and they even jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the run of play. For long stretches after that, they didn’t look like a team getting overwhelmed.
Then the Panthers did what contending teams do. They kept coming. Brady Tkachuk’s shot was the difference-maker all night, and all three of his goals - including the overtime winner - came off it.
The Canucks skated off frustrated, but head coach Manny Malhotra will have plenty to point to when he talks to his group afterward. They had enough good stretches to believe they deserved more than a 3-2 overtime loss.
The game also turned on a sequence that left Vancouver fuming. Right before Tkachuk scored his first goal, he took a shift that should have landed him in the penalty box after a slash on a Canuck during the backcheck and then a late hit in the neutral zone. Instead, he stayed on the ice, and the Panthers kept rolling.
The Canucks may not be a great team, but they deserved better from the officials in that moment.
There was more to like than just the fight. After getting pushed around in front of their net early, Vancouver settled things down and cleaned up the dangerous area in front of Leevi Merilainen. That had been a trouble spot in other games this season, but not this time.
They also kept Florida off the power-play scoreboard and even did a better job than usual of cutting out cross-ice passes. Those are the kinds of details that matter, especially against a team built to punish mistakes.
Merilainen, meanwhile, got a chance to show why so many people around the league were excited about him as a prospect. The young Finn kept giving the Canucks a chance to hang around, and his performance fit with what the defence in front of him was able to do.
If Vancouver can keep getting nights like this from its blue line, it gives its goalies a real shot to steal games.
There was plenty packed into the third period, too, and Elias Pettersson’s reaction after he just missed what would have been Vancouver’s third goal said a lot. The frustration on his face was obvious. That was the kind of chance he still needs to turn into a game-changing moment.
It was the sort of emotion that has been too rare over the last two seasons, and it mattered because these Canucks need those small edges if they’re going to finish games like this instead of looking back at what got away.
The other Pettersson kept building his case, too. The defenceman scored again and looked confident doing it, and that kind of all-around impact is exactly what Vancouver wants more of from its young defenders.
Tom Willander also turned in another solid game alongside Jamie Oleksiak, another piece the Canucks can point to as something to build on.
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 🡒]