Update (1:07 p.m. ET, Thursday): The probable starting goalies for Thursday’s Canucks vs Panthers game have changed. Leevi Merilainen is now the probable starter for Vancouver in place of Kevin Lankinen, and Akira Schmid remains the probable starter for Florida. Jacob Panthers goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been ruled out, upgraded from his previous day-to-day designation.
The Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers preview now centers on a goaltending change for the struggling road team. Vancouver (2-6-0, 1-4-0 on the road) visits Florida (3-2-2, 0-1-0 at home) on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The Canucks arrive having lost five straight, while the Panthers are coming off a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in which Brady Tkachuk scored a hat trick.
Canucks Vs Panthers Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 15
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Scripps Sports
Canucks Outlook
Vancouver sits at the bottom of the Pacific Division with four points through eight games, well behind division leader Vegas at 12 points. The Canucks have dropped five consecutive games, including a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 13, a 6-2 defeat to the New York Rangers and a 7-2 rout at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Despite the record, Vancouver’s offense has produced 26 goals on a 14.5% shooting clip, both ahead of Florida’s marks. The issue has been on the other end, where the Canucks have allowed 38 goals for a 4.75 goals-against average and a .850 save percentage, the worse mark between the two clubs. Vancouver is also 1-4-0 in games where its opponent commits fewer penalties, a split that has not helped a team already shorthanded.
Leevi Merilainen is now the probable starting goalie for Vancouver, replacing Kevin Lankinen in that projected role. The change follows Lankinen’s exit during the third period of the 7-2 loss to Carolina on Thursday, when he allowed six goals on 18 shots before giving way to Merilainen. Lankinen carries a 7.06 goals-against average and a .786 save percentage through his starts this season, while Merilainen has posted a 1.62 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage across one start and two relief appearances.
The Canucks remain without goaltender Thatcher Demko, out following hip surgery, along with forwards Akil Thomas, Mackenzie MacEachern and Jack Thompson. Elias Pettersson leads the team with nine points and a team-high seven assists, while Paul Cotter paces Vancouver with four goals.
Panthers Outlook
Florida enters at 3-2-2 with eight points, good for fourth in the Atlantic Division behind Boston, Ottawa and Tampa Bay. The Panthers have been streaky over their last five, with road losses to the Anaheim Ducks in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres sandwiched around a win over the Los Angeles Kings and a 4-1 home loss to the Minnesota Wild. Florida closed that stretch with the 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 13, powered by Brady Tkachuk’s hat trick.
Florida’s defense has been its calling card, allowing just 20 goals for a 2.86 goals-against average and posting a .891 save percentage, both better than Vancouver’s figures. That strength now comes with a complication in net. Jacob Markstrom has been ruled out for Thursday, a step up from his prior day-to-day designation.
Markstrom, 36, was acquired by Florida in a trade with New Jersey to serve as the starter, but he left Monday’s game against Buffalo early after allowing two goals on nine shots in the opening 20 minutes and was replaced by Akira Schmid. Schmid is now the probable starter against Vancouver. Defenseman Radko Gudas is also out for Florida.
The Panthers remain without forward Brad Marchand (left leg, injured reserve), center Aleksander Barkov (lower body, injured reserve) and forward Jonah Gadjovich (upper-body surgery, injured reserve). Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida with 10 points and a team-high seven assists, while Sam Reinhart tops the club with four goals.
Key Matchup
The clearest matchup to watch is now a goaltending duel between two backups thrust into larger roles. Merilainen takes over for Vancouver with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage in limited action, a sharp contrast to Lankinen’s 7.06 mark before his Thursday exit against Carolina. Schmid steps in for Florida with Markstrom out, inheriting a Panthers defense that has allowed just 175 shots against compared to Vancouver’s 253.
Florida’s offense showed its ceiling in the 7-3 win over Columbus behind Tkachuk’s hat trick, and Vancouver’s defense that owns the NHL’s worse goals-against average between these two teams will be tested again if the Panthers generate similar volume. On the other side, Merilainen’s recent form gives Vancouver a chance to steady a defense that has been its biggest weakness through eight games.
What To Watch
Vancouver has lost six of its first eight games and sits last in the Pacific Division, making every point valuable as the Canucks try to stop the bleeding. Florida is managing a goaltending change of its own with Markstrom out, along with injuries to key contributors like Marchand and Barkov, while trying to stay within range of the Atlantic Division’s top three. Whether Merilainen can provide more stability than Lankinen did and how Schmid handles the starter’s workload without Markstrom are the two storylines most likely to shape Thursday’s result at Amerant Bank Arena.
Vancouver’s next opportunity to snap its skid comes against Florida, part of a broader slide that also included losses to the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers, plus a defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes and an earlier loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
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