On Tuesday, the Cardiac Cats struck again as the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-6 in overtime after trailing 5-1 midway through the second period. The victory helped set a new record for most points in franchise history with 104 points in 70 games and pads their lead in the Atlantic Division by eight points and the Eastern Conference by six points.
Huberdeau Makes History as Offense Continues to Fire on All Cylinders
The Panthers’ offense once again showed why no lead against them is safe. This is the second time in their last three games that they’ve scored seven goals in a winning effort. The goal-scoring was led by Jonathan Huberdeau, who tallied five points (two goals, three assists), including the game-tying and game-winning goals. He is also on a nine-game point streak with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists). As a result of his heroics, he became the first player in Panthers history to record a 100-point season, and he has shown no signs of slowing down for the rest of the season.
“I think he’s been unbelievable. He’s been leading this team the whole season. No nights off at all. He’s just solid every time he shows up and does his thing. It’s incredible how good he is and how he does those things. It’s a lot of fun to see.”
– Aleksander Barkov on Jonathan Huberdeau
Aleksander Barkov also had one of his best performances this season with a four-point night (one goal, three assists), including an assist on the game-winner. This padded his team lead in goals with 34; he is the only 30-goal scorer on the team so far this season.
Furthermore, Sam Bennett assisted on a big goal late in the second period for his 100th career NHL assist. While Bennett has been quiet on the scoresheet of late, he’s playing a hard game and drives to the front on almost every play. It was nice to see him rewarded for his efforts.
Reinhart Helps Power Play Look Good, But Not Deep Playoff Run Good
Against the Maple Leafs, the Panthers went 3/6 on the man…
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