FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. VANCOUVER CANUCKS
JANUARY 11, 2022
FLA Live Arena – Sunrise, Fla.
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | VANCOUVER CANUCKS |
| 5 | 2 |
PANTHERS POSTGAME QUOTES
Forward Sam Reinhart
On Panthers Interim Head Coach Andrew Brunette being named to be the Head Coach at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game:
“He’s been great. It was a tough spot to jump into and he handled it incredibly. The guys love playing for him. The guys love going out there on a nightly basis and playing hard for him. We’re all thrilled in our locker room for that accomplishment.”
On his first year so far with the Panthers:
“It’s a fun team to be a part of. Guys really feed off each other…You can really sense it when you’re watching a game and you certainly feel it on the bench when we get going, it’s fun to be a part of.”
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad
On the Panthers recent success:
“It’s unbelievable to be on a team like this. We work hard. We play within our system…Our persistence in games is incredible. It’s really fun.”
On Sam Reinhart:
“[He] is an extremely important player. The additions we have made the last couple of years are paying dividends for us. They are fantastic players, [Sam Reinhart] is one of those guys. Calm, cool, and collected in all situations…Really happy for him to play well and we are going to ride his success for sure.”
On Andrew Brunette being named Head Coach of Atlantic Division All-Star Team:
“So cool. When they announced it in the second period, you could see all the smiles and the happiness from the guys. He truly deserves it. He stepped into a situation that’s not so easy, and he’s done a great job with it. He’s really given us a chance to succeed with his excitement and passion for the game every day.”
Defenseman Radko Gudas
On tonight’s win:
“I thought we controlled the game when we could. When we had the puck I thought we did some great things. Obviously, they outshot us but I didn’t think they really had many grade A [chances]. I thought the guys did pretty well coming back to our building after the road trip. I think we put our foot down and played a pretty solid game.”
On the team’s performance at home:
“We’ve been great in our building here and it shows on the score sheet when we come out like this its usually two points for us. I think if we can bring that swagger on the road like we did on our last trip I think we’re going to have a lot more success.”
Interim Head Coach Andrew Brunette
On Sergei Bobrovsky:
“I thought Bob was really good. You can’t ask for our A+ game every night. Bob tonight was really good, he’s been really good all year.”
On being Head Coach for the Atlantic Division All-Star Team:
“It’s how well our group plays. I’m just benefitting from how they’ve played all year. I’m very fortunate to be in this position. I’m grateful for the opportunity but, you know, this is a team thing—I’m just along for the ride.
“I love our team, I love how hard we play and compete, and our desire to be a great team. So, it’s fun to be around, and the rest of the stuff is just noise on the outside. It’s been fun to be around these guys.”
CATS STATS
- The Panthers earned their fifth consecutive win at FLA Live Arena and have earned at least one point in each of their past seven games (6-0-1). Florida improved their record on home ice to 19-3-0. Tonight’s game marked the 13th time the Panthers have scored at least five goals at home, the most among NHL teams.
- The Panthers remain tied atop the NHL standings with 53 points (24-7-5).
- Sam Reinhart recorded three points (2-1-3). He has produced six points (2-4-6) over his past three games.
- Aaron Ekblad logged three points (1-2-3) for the fourth time this season and the seventh time in his career. He required the fewest games (35) to surpass the 30-point mark (10-22-32) in his career.
- Ekblad registered five blocked shots, tied for the most on Florida tonight with Aleksander Barkov.
- Aleksander Barkov tallied his third shorthanded goal over his past six games and added an assist. Barkov has amassed 27 points (15-12-27) over 23 games this season.
- Barkov is the only player in franchise history to record three shorthanded goals over the span of six regular season team games, and he is the first player since Patrice Bergeron in 2018-19 to accomplish the feat. The goal marked Barkov’s 10th career shorthanded tally, surpassing Pavel Bure (9) for third-most in franchise history.
- Jonathan Huberdeau notched an assist to extend his point streak to six games (3-11-14). His assist was his 34th of the season, tied for the most of any NHL skater.
- Anton Lundell and Frank Vatrano each produced two assists. Lundell has produced at least one point in each of his past five games at FLA Live Arena, the third-longest home point streak by a Panthers rookie in franchise history.
- Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 42 of 44 Vancouver shots (.955 save percentage) to earn his league-leading 13th home win (13-3-0). He has started each of Florida’s past five games, owning a 4-0-1 record over that span.
- Maxim Mamin scored his fifth goal of the season.
- MacKenzie Weegar and Radko Gudas each registered fighting majors. Gudas also notched his 10th assist of the season.
