Free NHL Picks Today: Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers 12/1/22

The Florida Panthers (10-9-4) will be out to halt their losing streak when they travel to face the Vancouver Canucks (9-11-3) at Rogers Arena on Thursday. Florida is coming off a high-scoring 6-2 loss against the Flames on Tuesday, their third defeat in a row. The Panthers committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.

Sam Reinhart and Nick Cousins both scored once for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky only had 17 saves on 23 shots against (.739%) in the loss. Vancouver fell 5-1 to the Capitals on Tuesday. Nils Hoglander netted the lone goal for the Canucks. Spencer Martin only had 23 saves on 27 shots against (.851%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Panthers won both games between the teams last season, including a 2-1 (SO) victory in their final meeting in January, their third straight win against Vancouver. Reinhart scored Florida’s only goal. Spencer Knight got the win, saving 27 of 28 shots (.964%).

FACING OFF

Florida is averaging 3.35 goals per game for the season, 10th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Canucks team that is allowing 3.78 goals a game (30th). Meanwhile, Vancouver has found the net 3.48 times a game on average, sixth in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.48 goals per game (24th).

Florida averages more shots (38.8) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 8.7% shooting percentage ranks 29th. Vancouver has proven to be one of the league’s less successful shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 30 with a team save percentage of .892%. Expect several power play opportunities for the Canucks, as the Panthers are averaging 4.91 penalties per game, fifth-most in the NHL.

The visitors’ 10.91 penalty minutes a game ranks 11th-highest. The home team has been penalized 4.17 times a game (14th) for an average of 11.78 minutes (8th). The Canucks’ 27.50% power play percentage ranks sixth in the league, while the Panthers are 25th with a conversion rate of 17.98%. Vancouver has been less impressive at penalty killing, as the home team owns the league’s second-lowest PK% at 66.67%. Florida’s 76.40% ranks 21st in the NHL.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 29 points this season, ninth-most in the NHL, Matthew Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He is among the league leaders with 19 assists (9th) and has added 10 goals of his own. In the net, Knight (6-3-3) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.74 GAA and a .914% save percentage.

Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks in scoring with 27 points. He has 11 goals and 16 assists. Martin (6-1-1) has the best goals against average for Vancouver at 3.12. He has a save percentage of .907%. Thatcher Demko (3-9-2) has played the most games in net for the Canucks this season. He has a 3.80 GAA and a .885% save percentage.