Millsap said on the Hawks inability to close out Sundays game. "L

Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Roberto Luongo was victorious in his return to Vancouver as he turned aside 32 shots to help the Florida Panthers to a 3-1 victory over the Canucks on Thursday. The veteran netminder, who set franchise records with 252 wins and 38 shutouts over eight seasons with the Canucks, tied Sabres great Dominik Hasek for 11th on the NHLs all-time win list with 389. Jonathan Huberdeau posted two goals and an assist and Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers, who rebounded from a 4-3 loss to Washington on Sunday. Daniel Sedin lit the lamp and Ryan Miller allowed all three goals on 30 shots for the Canucks, who won their previous two games. That wasnt good enough, said Henrik Sedin. After Luongo was honored with a video tribute prior to the game, Sedin welcomed his former teammate back to Rogers Arena with a snap shot from the high slot 3:39 into the contest, but the Panthers backed their netminder with three straight goals. I wasnt sure if I wanted to watch it or not, Luongo said. I didnt want to get too emotional ... the crowd reaction was great. I couldnt ask for anything better. Huberdeau fired a quick shot off a feed from Brad Boyes behind the net, but was stopped by Miller. Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler knocked the rebound into his own net for a tie game at 9:33 of the first period. Barkov tipped Aaron Ekblads low shot past Miller for a 2-1 Florida lead 7:10 into the second. Huberdeau quieted the Vancouver crowd with his second of the night as he took a stretch pass from Dmitry Kulikov and beat a stationary Miller with a quick wrister that went off the pipe and into the net with 3:17 left in the middle stanza. Past the midway point of the third, Vancouver had a two-man advantage for 39 seconds after David Bolland was assessed a double minor for high sticking, but was unable to convert on the extended power play. Luongo even got involved with the physical side of the game during a scrum after the whistle as he threw punches at Derek Dorsett, who pushed Willie Mitchell into the Florida goaltender with over three minutes to play. The Canucks pulled their netminder with under two minutes left, but were unable to pull even. Game Notes Luongo has now defeated every NHL team ... Barkov scored his first goal since Nov. 11 against San Jose ... Vancouver went 0-for-6 on the power play ... The two teams will meet again on Jan. 19 in Florida. Wholesale NFL Jerseys .C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action. Stitched NFL Jerseys . "He started putting me on the ice to strengthen them at the suggestion from a doctor," he said. Weight said it wasnt a pretty sight at the rink in St. Clair Shores, Mich. "I looked like Forrest Gump," he joked. http://www.outletnfljerseys.com/ . Huntelaar also had a penalty saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. The two goals brought Huntelaars total for the season to 18, level with Bayern Munichs Mario Gomez for most in the league. Clearance NFL Jerseys Sale . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers. Cheap China Jerseys . Dr. James Andrews is to operate next week on the 24-year-old pitcher, who made the AL All-Star team last year. Moore will be the first Rays pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery since Jason Isringhausen in June 2009.TORONTO - Torontos Kyle Lowry had spent big chunks of Sundays game on the bench, part of the coaching and medical staffs plan to manage the minutes of their battered and bruised team leader. Unleashed in the fourth quarter, Lowry scored seven of his 25 points in the games final minute to lift the Raptors to a 96-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. After three horrible quarters, the Raptors outscored the Hawks 36-15 in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. "Weve got a group of guys who are resilient, we want to win games, weve got a goal in mind," Lowry said. "Its fun to win games and when youve found the recipe to win in the fourth, you have to stick with it." Lowry also had four assists and four steals in just 27 minutes. With the Raptors poised to make their first playoff appearance in six years, the team is being careful with his playing time. "Hes had a lot of minutes," said coach Dwane Casey. "Its hard believe me, as a coach and for him as a competitor, it looks like were going at each other but we both understand the situation. If its close I may close my eyes and forget time, but we have to watch his minutes." DeMar DeRozan added 21 points Sunday, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Greivis Vasquez chipped in with 12 points for the Raptors (39-30). Lowry, who has struggled with a groin injury in the past, wouldnt say if anything specific is sore. "My full body has aches and pains right now," he said. "I dont think any player in the NBA right now feels 100 per cent. Its that time of year where everybody has knicks and knacks and bruises." DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap scored 17 points apiece to top the Hawks (31-37), while Jeff Teague added 16. Coming off a an energetic 119-118 loss in double overtime two nights earlier to Oklahoma City, the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors looked like a different team Sunday through three quarters of sloppy passes, horrible shooting and lackadaisical defence. One highlight on an afternoon that had almost none: the return of The Raptor mascot, who missed over five months after rupturing an Achilles tendon during training camp. Casey passed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment boss Tim Leiweke in the hallway after the game, and told him it was like "pulling teeth, it was like going to the dentists office that first half." "Weve got to be pros like I told our players, whether its five oclock in the morning, midnight, two oclock, weve got to get ourselves going," Casey said. "With season ticket-holders paying big money to watch us play, we came out and gave them a bad performance in the first half." Casey gave his players an earful at halftime. "Aw man, he came in here yelling," DeRozan said. "Once Casey yells, youve got to do your job or youll hear him yelling after the game. We understood ... wwe were still in the game and we were playing terrible that first half.ddddddddddddquot; The Hawks, who are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by as many as 14 points in the first half and were up by 71-60 heading into the fourth quarter. Finally showing some life, the Raptors chipped away at the difference and when Johnson tipped in his own miss with 5:18 left to play, it tied the game 79-79. Lowry scored on a hook shot with 44 seconds left to give the Raptors a five-point lead and some precious breathing room, then he stole the ball off an inbounds pass and scored again to help put the game away. There was a scary moment late in the game when workhorse Amir Johnson went down in a heap clutching his left knee after Shelvin Mack had fallen awkwardly on it. "You dont know if its a soccer move (embellishment) or what," Casey said. "He had my heart in my throat there for a little bit." Lowry called Johnson the teams "heart and soul." "So when that happened it kind of scared us a little bit," Lowry said. "Oh yeah, Im still scared when he falls. But hes a great player, he gives it all, and it makes everybody else give it their all too." Added DeRozan: "Ive seen Amir get hit by a Mack truck and get back up. One thing about Amir, hell play through anything and everything, but he kind of scared me tonight. When he grabbed at the knee, I kind of cussed at him a little to make sure he was alright." Johnson, who was limping in the locker-room after the game, said the initial pain was bad, but he was able to walk it off. The Raptors had lost to the Hawks earlier in the week, dropping a 118-113 decision in overtime in Atlanta on Tuesday. "We just lost focus," Millsap said on the Hawks inability to close out Sundays game. "Lost focus and they hit a few shots. We dropped our heads a little bit but we have to be more mentally tough." Toronto got off to a poor start Sunday, turning over the ball seven times in the opening quarter. The Raptors shot just 28 per cent while allowing the Hawks to shoot 56 per cent. Atlanta went up by 11 before leading 25-16 to end the quarter. A three-pointer by Millsap gave the Hawks a 14-point lead midway through the second. But the Raptors closed the quarter with a 16-9 run that included a monstrous dunk by Terrence Ross and went into the locker-room at halftime trailing 49-42. The Raptors carried that momentum into the third, cutting the Hawks lead to two points on a hook shot by Valanciunas, but abruptly went cold again. Atlanta took an 11-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. Notes: The Raptors are in Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Tuesday, then meet the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday before returning home to host Boston on Friday. ... New Toronto FC goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler were at the game. ' ' '