Canucks at Panthers
THE STORY: The Vancouver Canucks exacted a bit of revenge by besting the Boston Bruins in a chippy rematch of last summer's Stanley Cup Finals. While Saturday's 4-3 triumph will not erase the team's seven-game loss to the Bruins in June, it did help ease some old wounds. "Last year is done, (but) the memories and bad blood carried over," Vancouver goaltender Cory Schneider said. "But in the scheme of things ... it's a big statement win for our team. It's a bit of a statement to the rest of the league that we're back where we were last year." On Monday, the Canucks will get back to business as they continue their four-game road trip against the host Florida Panthers. Vezina Trophy finalist Roberto Luongo, who was a bystander against the Bruins, is expected to face his former team. Luongo is 3-0-1 with a slim 1.68 goals-against average since fleeing from Florida in 2006. The netminder has fueled the Canucks' ascent to the top of the Western Conference standings. Vancouver is 17-4-2 in its last 23, while Southeast Division-leading Florida enters Monday's contest having dropped two in a row and six of its last eight (2-4-2).
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NHLCA, RSNP
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (26-13-3): Vancouver benefited from superior special teams play to subdue Boston. The Canucks' top-ranked power play accounted for all four of the team's goals, while they also denied the Bruins on all seven of their opportunities with the man advantage. Vancouver will be shorthanded on Monday as D Sami Salo suffered a concussion during Saturday's tilt. The 37-year-old Finn was injured after taking a low-bridge hit from Boston's Brad Marchand, who was assessed a clipping major and game misconduct in the second period.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (20-13-8): Veteran C John Madden made his debut with Florida during the team's 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. He won five of seven faceoffs and played over 12 minutes. "Rust is a relative term," Florida coach Kevin Dineen said of the 38-year-old Madden. "If you're driving a high-end sports car, you treat it with tender loving care. If you're an F-150, you can pull it out of the garage, hit the switch and off you go."
OVERTIME:
1. Canucks LW Booth was hoping to play against his former team, but has yet to practice fully as he recovers from a knee injury.
2. Luongo isn't the only one facing his former team in this contest. Panthers RW Mikael Samuelsson, who was acquired in a four-player trade on Oct. 22, has returned from injury to secure three points in his last two games.