Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers — Recap

📰Game Recap

The Florida Panthers overcame a two-goal deficit and a strong performance from Vancouver Canucks goaltender Leevi Meriläinen to secure a 3-2 overtime victory. Florida dominated shots on goal, finishing with a 39-17 advantage, a performance that aligned with SportsFBI's pregame model, which gave Florida a 78% probability to win. Despite the Panthers' offensive pressure, the Canucks struck twice in the first period. Liam Ohgren opened the scoring at 7:23, assisted by Linus Karlsson, followed by Elias Pettersson's goal at 17:06, with assists from Filip Chytil and Brock Boeser, giving Vancouver a 2-0 lead.

Meriläinen continued to hold Florida scoreless through the second period, making 36 saves overall, but the Panthers' persistent attack eventually broke through in the third. Brady Tkachuk narrowed the deficit at 11:11 of the third period, with assists from Aaron Ekblad and Matthew Tkachuk. As the period wound down, Brady Tkachuk leveled the score at 2-2 with just 13 seconds remaining, assisted by Carter Verhaeghe and Seth Jones, sending the game into overtime.

Tkachuk completed his hat trick and the Panthers' comeback at 2:23 of overtime, with Seth Jones and Sam Reinhart assisting on the game-winning goal. Akira Schmid earned the win for Florida, stopping 15 of 17 shots faced. The victory advanced Florida's record to 3-2-2, while Vancouver's record dropped to 2-6-0.