Ekblad, Barkov lead Panthers to 4-2 win over Canucks
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - Aaron Ekblad gave Florida a three-goal lead early in the third period and the Panthers held on for a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
The Panthers won their first home game under interim coach Tom Rowe. The win was the Panthers' first in regulation since a victory over Ottawa on Nov. 19, a span of 11 games.
Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist, and Vincent Trocheck and Derek MacKenzie also scored for Florida. Roberto Luongo made 37 saves, and Jaromir Jagr recorded an assist and now has 1,883 points, four behind Mark Messier for second on the NHL career list.
Daniel Sedin and Jack Skille scored in the third period for the Canucks. Jacob Markstrom stopped 38 shots.
With the Panthers clinging to a 3-2 lead, Trocheck scored an empty-net goal with 47.1 seconds left.
Trailing 3-0, the Canucks scored twice in the third.
Skille took a shot from low in the right circle that got past Luongo on the glove side at 8:06 of the third. Skille has three goals in two games.
A power-play goal by Sedin made the score 3-2. Troy Stecher shot from the point, and the puck hit Sedin's stick and was redirected into the net at 11:45 of the third.
The Panthers had stretched their lead to 3-0 at 1:05 of the third. Jagr took a shot from above the right circle that was blocked by Markstrom. Ekblad backhanded the rebound and beat Markstrom on the stick side.
Barkov gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 2:22 in. Seth Griffith passed from behind the net to Barkov in front, who poked the puck past Markstrom. Barkov has points in 11 of his past 12 games.
The Panthers went ahead 2-0 on MacKenzie's goal. MacKenzie corralled a bouncing puck and pushed it into the net at 9:35 of the second. Paul Thompson recorded his first NHL point with the first assist on the goal.
NOTES: Canucks D Erik Gudbranson, who was the first-round pick by the Panthers in 2010 and played for the Panthers for five years, received a video tribute and an ovation from the crowd in his first return since being traded to Vancouver last June. ... G Thatcher Demko was called up from Utica of the AHL because of a lower-body injury to Ryan Miller. ... C Jayson Megna was born in nearby Fort Lauderdale. ... Panthers D Keith Yandle played his 580th consecutive game, tying Johnny Wilson for the ninth longest stretch in the NHL. ... Jim Craig, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won a gold medal, attended the game.
UP NEXT:
Canucks: Visit the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Panthers: Visit the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.