SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers put little-known Seth Griffith on their top line for the first time on Saturday night, and it worked.

Aleksander Barkov and Derek MacKenzie each produced a goal and an assist to lead the Panthers to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at the BB&T Center.

Florida (13-12-4) also got goals from Aaron Ekblad and an empty-netter by Vincent Trocheck. Goalie Roberto Luongo (37 saves) earned the win against his former team.

Griffith joined Barkov and Jaromir Jagr on that top line. Jagr earned an assist on Saturday, giving him 1,883 career points. He needs four points to tie Mark Messier for second place on the all-time NHL list.

"I was a little nervous playing besides Jagr," Griffith said. "I watched him growing up. Once the jitters were out, I settled down and started playing."

Griffith helped Florida take a 1-0 lead it would never relinquish. With just 2:22 expired in the first period, Griffith made a wraparound pass to Barkov in the slot. Barkov converted for his sixth goal of the season.

"(Barkov) is a great player," said Griffith, who now has two assists in nine games this season. "He sees the ice extremely well. He is one of the best two-way forwards in the game. "

Trocheck took a gentle jab at Griffith by saying in essence that it's easy to play with Barkov.

"You put anybody with Barkie ... it's Barkie, he's going to make plays," Trocheck said with a smile. "He's going to put guys in different positions to score."

Vancouver (12-14-2) fell behind 3-0 but got third-period goals from ex-Panther Jack Skille and Daniel Sedin. Goalie Jacob Markstrom, another former Panther, made 38 saves but took the loss.

Florida played homage to former Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson, now a member of the Canucks. During the game's first timeout, the Panthers played a video tribute to Gudbranson, who was their first-round draft pick - third overall - in 2010.

The video showed highlights of Gudbranson's career that included draft day, signing his first contract, scoring goals, making big hits and serving the community. After watching the video, Gudbranson tapped his heart and saluted the fans.

"It was a pleasure to be here," said Gudbranson, who was traded to Vancouver in May. "I had a lot of fun (while playing for Florida). Unfortunately, we didn't come out with the outcome we wanted tonight."

The Panthers are 2-2-3 in the seven games since ownership fired coach Gerard Gallant, putting general manager Tom Rowe behind the bench. This was Rowe's first home win since the change.

Paul Thompson, a 28-year-old career minor-leaguer, picked up his first NHL point when his second period shot was rebounded and put home by MacKenzie to give Florida a 2-0 lead.

Ekblad's rebound goal, his seventh of the season, came with just 1:05 expired in the third. Jagr and Barkov earned assists to give Florida a 3-0 lead.

Vancouver then made its run. Skille's goal was his third of the season and also his third in two games. Sedin's goal, with 8:15 left in the third period, came on a power play after Thompson was penalized for slashing.

It was Sedin's ninth goal of the season, but the Canucks couldn't get any closer.

"We didn't play quite the way we wanted the first two periods," Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. "But it was good to see us come back."

NOTES: Panthers D Keith Yandle played in his 580th consecutive game, tying Johnny Wilson for ninth place on the all-time NHL list. The longest games-played streak in NHL history is 964 set by Doug Jarvis, now a Canucks assistant coach. Among active players, Yandle is second behind Anaheim Ducks LW Andrew Cogliano. ... Panthers RW Jonathan Marchessault (groin) should be back in about three days, Florida GM/coach Tom Rowe said. ... Rowe said D Aaron Ekblad and C Aleksander Barkov will see their minutes go up in his coaching tenure. ... Florida scratched C Denis Malgin and D Jakub Kindl. ... Canucks C Jayson Megna was born in Fort Lauderdale, just minutes from the BB&T Center. ... Canucks G Ryan Miller (lower body) sat out. ... Vancouver recalled rookie G Thatcher Demko to serve as Jacob Markstrom's backup. This was Demko's first day in the NHL. But with Miller's contract expiring after this season, Demko could be up to stay starting next year. ... Vancouver scratched C Joseph Labate and D Andrey Pedan.