Panthers at Canucks
Roberto Luongo isn't sure what kind of reception he'll receive at Rogers Arena on Thursday night - but he knows it'll all sound the same to him. Luongo makes his first start on Vancouver ice since being traded late last season as he and the slumping Florida Panthers square off against the Canucks. The Panthers have dropped three of four as they prepare for the third contest of a six-game road trip - and the opener of four consecutive tilts against Canadian foes.
Luongo spent parts eight seasons with the Canucks, earning 252 victories and leading the team to an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup final. But the end of his tenure in Vancouver was marred by spotty play and much-publicized tension between he and the front office. "Lou's and boos all sound the same," Luongo joked with reporters after Tuesday's practice. "I won't be able to tell the difference. I just want to enjoy the game."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida, SNP (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (17-11-9): Florida sports one of the youngest rosters in the league, but even those fresh legs have to be a bit weary at the moment. The Panthers are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the most extra-time games in the league (15), with seven of those contests coming during a grueling 11-game stretch in December. Florida gets no reprieve over the next week - facing Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg in a six-day span - but has a five-game homestand for which to look forward that will span both sides of the All-Star break.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (23-12-3): Vancouver has had a lot go right this season, but nothing has been as effective as the team's penalty killing. Teams are converting at a 12.5-percent clip against the Canucks as they near the halfway point of the season, the third-lowest mark in the league. Vancouver held Detroit and New York scoreless in six power-play opportunities in consecutive home victories over the Red Wings and Islanders, and is 30-for-32 on the penalty kill over the past 10 games overall.
OVERTIME
1. The Panthers sent Luongo to Vancouver in a blockbuster 2006 trade that netted Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld and Bryan Allen.
2. Four of the last eight meetings between the teams have gone to a shootout, with each club prevailing twice.
3. The Canucks haven't allowed multiple power-play goals in a game since Nov. 30 against Detroit.