Henrik Sedin earns 1,000th career point as Canucks edge Panthers
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Henrik Sedin got mobbed by the rest of the Vancouver Canucks moments after he got his 1,000th career point -- and struggled to keep his emotions in check.
"When I saw my teammates come on the ice, I lost it a little bit," Sedin said after the Canucks topped the Florida Panthers 2-1 on Friday night.
"It was very special," Sedin added. "If I retired today, I think that was the most memorable moment for me as a player."
Sedin reached the milestone before Luca Sbisa scored the winner in the third period. Ryan Miller stopped 34 shots for Vancouver, which improved to 8-1-3 in its last 12 games.
Jaromir Jagr scored for Florida, and Roberto Luongo made 30 saves in the loss.
Sedin came in with a goal and two assists over his last three games to get to 999 points. He reached No. 1,000 in style at 5:50 of the second period.
With the Canucks trailing 1-0, Sedin raced up the ice with twin brother Daniel on a 2-on-1 rush before taking a pass and beating Luongo with a backhand through the legs for his 11th goal of the season.
"When I got the breakaway, I didn't really know what to do," Sedin said. "I think Lu thought I was going to go upstairs, but it was nice to see it go in."
While the 36-year-old celebrated with his teammates, the crowd at Rogers Arena roared its approval. Luongo, who played for Vancouver from 2006-14, then stopped Sedin to offer his congratulations.
"I didn't know how to feel," Luongo said. "Obviously I was happy for Hank, but not too happy for myself that I let that in."
The fans continued to salute Sedin, who returned the applause, before a video tribute was played during the next TV timeout.
"It was unreal," Sbisa said. "That's the stuff dreams are made of. That's what I dream about when I go to bed. Maybe in my next life, I'll get 1,000 points."
Sedin became the 85th player in NHL history to record 1,000, and just the 38th to accomplish the feat with one franchise. Washington Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin reached the same milestone on Jan. 11.
"It's been a very long ride, but a fun ride," Sedin said. "All the teammates and linemates we've had, they've all given us something and made us better."
The score was tied at 1 before Sbisa ripped his second goal of the season past Luongo 3:07 into the third off a broken play in the slot.
Brandon Sutter nearly put Vancouver up 3-1, but his shot after a nice move to get around a defender hit the post and stayed out.
Florida came close on a chance for Reilly Smith midway through the third, but Miller was there to make the save.
Daniel Sedin, who sits at 968 points, had a chance to get one closer to 1,000 himself, but his uncontested shot at the empty net with 40 seconds left hit the post. Vancouver still managed to hold on from there to pick up a second consecutive victory after going 0-1-3.
Playing their third game in four nights, the Panthers entered on a 1-2-1 run following a 4-3 overtime loss to Edmonton on Wednesday, and grabbed a 1-0 lead at 3:45 of the second. Jared McCann followed up his own rebound with a slick pass out front to Jagr, who buried his ninth of the season and the 758th of his career.
Vancouver traded McCann, a first-round pick back in 2014, to Florida last spring in a deal for defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who is out long term after undergoing wrist surgery.
NOTES: Henrik Sedin's first NHL point came against the Panthers, an assist in a 4-3 Canucks win. ... Vancouver recalled Jordan Subban from the AHL on Thursday, while fellow defenseman Andrey Pedan was assigned to the minors. Subban didn't dress. ... Minus three of their top six forwards because of injury -- Jonathan Huberdeau (Achilles), Aleksander Barkov (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (lower body) -- the Panthers had McCann centering Jagr and Jonathan Marchessault. Vincent Trocheck, who came in with nine goals and seven assists in his last 12 games, played between Smith and Jussi Jokinen.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Conclude a four-game road trip Monday at Arizona.
Canucks: Play at Chicago on Sunday before visiting Colorado and Arizona next week.
