The Vancouver Canucks were not surprised their game against former goalie Roberto Luongo came down to a shootout.
Nicklas Jensen scored in the first and added the only goal in the shootout as the Canucks earned a 4-3 win over Luongo and the Panthers on Sunday in Sunrise, Fla.
‘‘It’s fitting that it goes down to a shootout against him,’’ said Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa. ‘‘[Luongo] and Eddie [Lack] were joking about having it end in a 0-0 tie and just calling it a game, but we had other plans.’’
Alex Burrows had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who are 4-12-1 in their last 17 games. Lack made 26 saves.
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Jimmy Hayes scored twice for the Panthers, including the tying marker with 1:35 left in regulation. Luongo, facing his former team for the first time just 12 days after being traded, made 29 saves . Lack stopped all three shots in the shootout to beat Luongo, his former teammate.
‘‘I challenged him to a goalie fight when we chatted before the game, but he didn’t want to go,’’ Lack joked. ‘‘It was strange to see him at the other end of the ice, but I'm sure he felt the same way looking down at our end. It was a huge win for us. Every win is important right now.’’
Luongo was glad to get the much anticipated game out of the way.
‘‘It was a fun night to be part of. Either way I'm fine with it,’’ Luongo said. ‘‘I was looking forward to playing against the boys. Now that it’s done you just focus on the rest of the season and into next year.’’
Sharks 1, Rangers 0 — Antti Niemi had 41 saves and Logan Couture scored in the first as visiting San Jose won its sixth straight.
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Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves but was denied in his first attempt to set the Rangers record with his 302d victory.
Canadiens 2, Sabres 0 — Rookie Dustin Tokarski stopped 29 shots to earn his first NHL shutout and Montreal won in Buffalo.
Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 2 — Troy Brouwer scored two goals and host Washington scored on three of its first five shots in the first period before holding off Toronto.
Flyers 4, Penguins 3 — Wayne Simmonds had two power-play goals in the first period, Matt Read had a shorthanded tally, and Philadelphia went 4 for 4 on the penalty kill to win in Pittsburgh.
Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 1 — Marian Hossa had a goal and two assists as host Chicago cruised.
Avalanche 3, Senators 1 — Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves, backstopping visiting Colorado to its seventh win in nine games.
Oilers 2, Hurricanes 1 — Justin Schultz scored a power-play goal at 9:01 of the third and Edmonton edged host Carolina.
Jets 7, Stars 2 — Dustin Byfuglien had two goals and Blake Wheeler added four assists as host Winnipeg snapped a six-game winless streak.