Pairing Barkov and Huberdeau a creative payoff
The Florida Panthers returned from a two-week All-Star break Wednesday and immediately put together two of their most impressive wins of the season.
On Wednesday, they scored in the final minute of regulation to force overtime in Raleigh, North Carolina, and then beat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime to sweep the season with the only team they lost the season series to last year. On Friday, their offense exploded in St. Paul, Minnesota, to blow out the Minnesota Wild, 6-2.
The Hurricanes, with the second best points percentage in the Eastern Conference, are a clear-cut Stanley Cup contender; the Wild, with the second best points percentage in the Western Conference, is another of the best teams in the league; and the Panthers, with the best points percentage in the East and the second best points percentage in the NHL, handled them both on the road.
In the middle of it all, interim coach Andrew Brunette found a new way to pair up star forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, forward Noel Acciari made his long-awaited regularseason debut and Florida flipped its road fortunes.
“It’s nice to be back,” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said Friday.
He spoke for everyone because the Panthers (3410-5) aren’t just rolling. They’re also unveiling new little wrinkles along the way, including these three key developments emerging:
A NEW LOOK
The situation broke perfectly for Brunette in the second period Friday at the Xcel Energy Center: The Panthers had an offensive-zone faceoff after a television timeout, meaning their top line, which had been on the ice right before the stoppage, could stay out there for an extra shift.
Brunette wasn’t content to just roll out Barkov with wingers Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair, though. Instead, he stuck Huberdeau in for Verhaeghe at left wing in an aggressive move to chase a goal and it paid off. Huberdeau assisted Duclair and Florida built a two-goal lead.
Brunette went to the alternate top-line combination once more in the second period and the trio outshot Minnesota, 2-0, in 1:13 of time on ice.
“I like to do it time to time, just a lot of times off of stoppages or icings and get them out together,”