Our Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The Vancouver Canucks (2-6-0 this season; 25-49-8 in 2025-26) visit the Florida Panthers (3-2-2 this season; 40-38-4 in 2025-26) at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: SCRIPPS / Sportsnet Pacific / TVA Sports.
Storyline: Vancouver enters Thursday at 2-6-0 after a 3-2 loss at the Islanders (Oct. 13). Florida enters Thursday at 3-2-2 after a 7-3 win at Columbus (Oct. 13). The teams split two meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Florida at -298 and Vancouver at +240 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Vancouver Canucks @ Florida Panthers |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Vancouver Canucks 2-6-0 | Florida Panthers 3-2-2 |
| 2025-26 Records | Vancouver Canucks 25-49-8 | Florida Panthers 40-38-4 |
| Head Coaches | VAN: Manny Malhotra (1st season) | FLA: Paul Maurice (5th season) |
| Puck Line | VAN +1.5 (-105) | FLA -1.5 (-115) |
| Moneyline | Vancouver Canucks: +240 | Florida Panthers: -298 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+110 / u-130) |
| Venue | Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise, Fla.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 15, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | SCRIPPS / Sportsnet Pacific / TVA Sports |
| Probable Starting Goalies | VAN: Kevin Lankinen (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | FLA: Jacob Markstrom (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, ~6:23 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Kevin Lankinen (Vancouver) and Jacob Markstrom (Florida) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Vancouver Canucks Preview: Pettersson Leads a 2-6-0 Start
2025-26 recap: Vancouver went 25-49-8 (58 points), the fewest points in the NHL. The Canucks allowed the most goals in the league, had the worst penalty kill (71.5 percent) and tied for 30th in goals scored (NHL.com). Elias Pettersson led the team with 51 points, Filip Hronek had 49 and Brock Boeser scored 22 goals.
Offseason moves: Vancouver fired coach Adam Foote on May 19 and hired Manny Malhotra, who won the 2025 Calder Cup coaching AHL Abbotsford, on June 1. Ryan Johnson became GM, and Henrik and Daniel Sedin were named co-presidents of hockey operations. The Canucks acquired Brendan Gallagher from Montreal, signed defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn and forward Cotter, and claimed goalie Leevi Meriläinen off waivers from Ottawa on Sept. 25 (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk, Boeser, Marco Rossi, Linus Karlsson, Liam Ohgren, Cotter and Jonathan Lekkerimaki lead the forwards, with Hronek, Oleksiak, Zeev Buium and Tom Willander on defense. Malhotra is in his first season as an NHL head coach.
Goalies: Kevin Lankinen has started five games and is 1-5-0 with a .786 save percentage (103 saves on 131 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 19 saves on 25 shots in a 6-2 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 11). Leevi Meriläinen has started three games and is 1-1-0 with a .926 save percentage (113 saves on 122 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 35 saves on 38 shots in a 3-2 loss at the Islanders (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Kevin Lankinen as the probable starter for Thursday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Vancouver is 2-6-0 through eight games, with 26 goals scored and 38 allowed. Results: a 6-5 overtime win at Edmonton (Sept. 29), a 9-7 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 1), a 4-1 win over Calgary (Oct. 3), a 3-2 loss to Vegas (Oct. 4), a 7-2 loss at Carolina (Oct. 8), a 4-1 loss at New Jersey (Oct. 10), a 6-2 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 11) and a 3-2 loss at the Islanders (Oct. 13). Elias Pettersson has nine points (two goals, seven assists), and Paul Cotter has six points (four goals, two assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Thatcher Demko (hip surgery) and Filip Chytil (shoulder) are on injured reserve; Jack Thompson (undisclosed), Akil Thomas (undisclosed) and Mackenzie MacEachern (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Florida Panthers Preview: Tkachuk Leads a 3-2-2 Start
2025-26 recap: Florida went 40-38-4 (84 points), finished seventh in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs one year after winning a second straight Stanley Cup. Barkov missed the entire season. Sam Reinhart led the team with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games, Sam Bennett had 58 points, Carter Verhaeghe had 55 and Brad Marchand scored 27 goals in 52 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Florida acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa on June 21 to join his brother Matthew. He had 59 points in 60 games last season. The Panthers also added goalies Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey) and Akira Schmid (Vegas), forwards Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Radko Gudas. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky now plays for Toronto, Daniil Tarasov for Detroit and Mackie Samoskevich for Seattle (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Reinhart, Bennett, Verhaeghe, the Tkachuk brothers, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Eller lead the forwards. Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, Gudas and Dmitry Kulikov are on defense. Paul Maurice is in his fifth season as coach.
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom has started five games and is 2-1-1 with a .904 save percentage (85 saves on 94 shots). Most recently, he made 9 saves on 11 shots in a 5-3 loss at Buffalo (Oct. 12). Akira Schmid has started two games and is 1-1-1 with an .875 save percentage (70 saves on 80 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 24 saves on 27 shots in a 7-3 win at Columbus (Oct. 13). Cooper Black has not played yet. ESPN lists Jacob Markstrom as the probable starter for Thursday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Florida is 3-2-2 through seven games, with 19 goals scored and 20 allowed. Results: a 1-0 overtime win at Carolina (Sept. 29), a 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 1), a 3-2 overtime loss at Anaheim (Oct. 4), a 2-1 win at Los Angeles (Oct. 6), a 4-1 loss to Minnesota (Oct. 10), a 5-3 loss at Buffalo (Oct. 12) and a 7-3 win at Columbus (Oct. 13). Matthew Tkachuk has 10 points (three goals, seven assists), and Seth Jones has seven points (one goal, six assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Jacob Markstrom (undisclosed) and Radko Gudas (undisclosed) are day to day; Brad Marchand (leg), Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body surgery) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Canucks vs Panthers
- Schedule spot: Vancouver last played on Oct. 13 and visits Tampa Bay on Oct. 17. Florida last played on Oct. 13 and hosts Seattle on Oct. 17.
- Last season: The teams split two meetings last season. Vancouver won 5-2 at home on March 17, 2026. Florida won 8-5 at home on Nov. 17, 2025 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Vancouver is converting 20 percent of its power plays and has killed 57.1 percent of penalties. Florida is converting 18.4 percent of its power plays and has killed 75.9 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Vancouver has scored 26 goals and allowed 38 in 8 games. Florida has scored 19 goals and allowed 20 in 7 games.
- Odds snapshot: Florida -298 / Vancouver +240 on the moneyline, Panthers -1.5 (-115) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Fla.
TV: In the U.S., Scripps Sports (SCRIPPS) carries it in the Panthers’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet Pacific and TVA Sports carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 15, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.