Early look · NHL 2026-27

Florida Panthers at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25that

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32nd

Puck drop9 Jan · 10:00 PM ET

VenueRogers Arena

All-time meetings48 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-six points apart last season

Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 points. Vancouver finished 32nd on 58.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 49

Across 48 completed games, Vancouver lead the head-to-head 25-14-9.

All-time record25-14-9Vancouver's record in the series

Meetings played48This is number 49

2025-26 series—

Last 54-1Vancouver

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

17 Mar 2026FLA 2 – VAN 523–22FLA 0/2 · VAN 2/4VAN

17 Nov 2025VAN 5 – FLA 815–41VAN 2/6 · FLA 2/6FLA

12 Dec 2024FLA 0 – VAN 427–19FLA 0/2 · VAN 1/1VAN

17 Oct 2024VAN 3 – FLA 2 OT33–28VAN 0/2 · FLA 1/1VAN

14 Dec 2023FLA 0 – VAN 436–18FLA 0/3 · VAN 1/3VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateFloridaVancouver

17 Nov 202510-8-1 · 21 pts23rd9-10-2 · 20 pts26th

17 Mar 202633-31-3 · 69 pts25th21-38-8 · 50 pts32nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 17 Nov 2025, Florida were 23rd in the league and Vancouver 26th. By 17 Mar 2026 it was 25th and 32nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Vancouver 320 to 228

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Florida Panthers

320 att · 155 on goal · 12 G · 7.7%

Crease24 att · 1 G

Slot123 att · 8 G

Wing114 att · 2 G

Point51 att · 0 G

Neutral zone8 att · 1 G

Vancouver Canucks

228 att · 107 on goal · 21 G · 19.6%

Crease23 att · 7 G

Slot86 att · 9 G

Wing75 att · 4 G

Point36 att · 1 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Florida have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

FloridaVancouver

3.01xG for per game2.44

2.34xG against per game3.15

56.3%xG share43.6%

−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+9.2

+1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−5.4

This season: 4 games for Florida, 4 for Vancouver. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Florida

Small sample

Power play · 2026-274.3%

Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th

Power play · last 5 meetings3/14 · 21.4%

Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229

Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)

Drawn · last meetings14 (2.80/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings6/16 · 37.5%

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings16 (3.20/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings6

Skaters

Quinn Hughes has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

43Quinn Hughes416714

6Brock Boeser524611

40Elias Pettersson54159

23Carter Verhaeghe505511

73Teddy Blueger41345

10J.T. Miller31344

13Sam Reinhart40447

9Sam Bennett521313

74Jake DeBrusk42139

23Marco Rossi11232

Head-to-head finder

Quinn Hughes vs Florida · game by game

See all: Quinn Hughes vs Florida · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

17 Nov 2025away033129:39

12 Dec 2024home022222:27

17 Oct 2024away112926:58

14 Dec 2023home000219:43

Last 5 meetings7 P1 G, 6 A · 14 SOG

Next best6 PBrock Boeser, VAN

2025-26 season23 P26 GP · 2 G

Blank vs FLA1 of 4

Full game log

Goaltending

Kevin Lankinen has been the difference

Kevin Lankinen faced 78 shots across 3 appearances against Florida and conceded 4, a .949 save percentage against a season figure of .824. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Florida

Expected starter after their game on 7 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 7 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Jan

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2

Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Kevin Lankinen

See all: Kevin Lankinen →

VAN · 1-2-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Jan

SV% · 2026-27.8243 GP · 6.50 GAA · 2025-26 .875

vs Florida.9493 app · 78 SA · 4 GA

GSAx · 2026-27−6.43 starts · most on the roster

vs FLAVenueSAGASV%

17 Mar 2026home232.913

12 Dec 2024home2701.000

17 Oct 2024away282.929

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Leevi Meriläinen .943 (2 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

17 Mar 20267 · FLA 2–5 VAN

17 Nov 202513 · VAN 5–8 FLA

12 Dec 20244 · FLA 0–4 VAN

17 Oct 20245 · VAN 3–2 FLA

14 Dec 20234 · FLA 0–4 VAN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Florida2.002.003.063.37

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.5Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct

Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov

Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct

MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

Injury report

Florida · 2026 draft

See all: Florida · 2026 draft →

#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW

#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC

#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD

#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW

Full draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Saturday 9 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 9 January · the full slate →

VANThis game 10:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Florida Panthers at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

Twenty-six points apart last season

Meeting number 49

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Florida out-attempted Vancouver 320 to 228

Florida Panthers

Vancouver Canucks

Florida have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Florida

Vancouver

Quinn Hughes has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Quinn Hughes vs Florida · game by game

Kevin Lankinen has been the difference

Florida crease

Kevin Lankinen

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

10 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Vancouver · injuries

Latest moves

Florida · 2026 draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Saturday 9 January · the full slate