5 TAKEAWAYS: Huberdeau scores in OT as Panthers earn eighth straight win

SUNRISE, Fla. -Even against a red-hot goaltender, the Panthers found a way to win.
Throwing everything except the kitchen sink at the opposing net, Jonathan Huberdeau scored at 3:41 of overtime to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Ducks at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.

Stretching their winning streak to eight games, the Panthers fired off a franchise-record 55 shots on goal, with John Gibson setting a franchise record for the Ducks by turning aside 52 of them.
"I thought we played well," Huberdeau said. "We ran into a hot goalie who was playing well. We had a lot of shots. I think throughout the lineup we played well. "We had a check mentality. Obviously sometimes a little fancy, but I feel like overall it was a pretty good game. That's our team. We came out with a huge win."
After being held without a shot on goal for nearly the entire first half of the first period, the Ducks made the most of their first good look of the game when Troy Terry ripped a shot from the slot right past Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 1-0 with his team-leading 33rd goal of the season at 7:38.
Doing everything but scoring during the opening 20 minutes, the Panthers headed into the first intermission leading 27-9 in shot attempts, 17-4 in shots on goal and 15-5 in scoring chances.
Finally rewarded for their strong play early in the second period, the Panthers got on the board when Anthony Duclair's pass into the slot took a rather fortuitous bounce off a defender's skate before sliding through Gibson's five-hole and across the goal line to make it 1-1 at 1:44.
Putting the Ducks back on top, Derek Grant re-directed in a goal at 17:24 to make it 2-1.
"I didn't think we really tried to change things or cheat our way with high-risk plays," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of his team's ability to not get frustrated. "We just stayed with what we were doing, stayed with the program and then we got rewarded for it."
Sent to a power play in the third period, the Panthers pulled even when Sam Reinhart set up Duclair for his second goal of the game with a pass through the slot to make it 2-2 at 10:09.
Over the last seven games, Florida has gone 8-for-23 (34.8%) on the man advantage.
In overtime, Huberdeau, who continues to build a very strong case for the Hart Trophy, sent rats flying to the ice when he picked Terry's pocket in the offensive zone, fired a shot on Gibson and then roofed his own rebound over the sprawled-out goaltender into the net to lock in the 3-2 win.
With nine games left to play, the Panthers, who have already punched their ticket to the playoffs, own a 10-point lead over the Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division.
"We want to finish first," Huberdeau said. "Every win is important. We've got to keep playing well, keep getting better throughout the end of the season to get into the playoffs feeling good about ourselves."
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's win in Sunrise…

1. THIRTY FOR DUKE

Duclair has joined some elite company.
By finding the back of the net twice against the Ducks, the speedy forward achieved the first 30-goal campaign of his career and became just the 12th player in franchise history to hit that mark.

"Awesome feeling," Duclair said. "Credit goes to my teammates and the coaching staff for putting myself in this situation. I play with some really good players, some elite players. It's something that I'm not going to take for granted. It's been just a great fit since I've been here."
Almost completing a hat trick and netting his 31st goal of the season in overtime, Duclair unleashed a lethal wrap-around attempt that was denied by a stellar pad save from Gibson. Second on the Panthers in goals, Duclair has lit the lamp four times over his last five games.

"Really happy for him," Brunette said. "I thought he had one in overtime, too. It would've been a great way to end it. He's a big part of our team with what he brings with his speed. Obviously getting 30 [goals] is a great accomplishment for him."

2. BARKY'S STREAK

Barkov keeps cracking the scoresheet.
With an assist on Duclair's goal in the second period, the Panthers captain pushed his point streak to eight games, which is just one game fewer than the longest of his career. In that stretch - which includes six multi-point performances - he's tallied six goals and 10 assists.
Trailing only Huberdeau on the team's points leaderboard, Barkov, despite missing 13 games due to an injury, is already up to 80 points this season, including scoring a team-high 34 goals.
Strong in the dot, Barkov went 15-for-23 (65.2%) in the faceoff circle against Anaheim.

3. HUBY FOR HART

Huberdeau is making his push for the Hart Trophy.
Netting his second overtime goal of the season, the all-star winger extended his point streak to a career-long 12 games, a red-hot stretch in which he's tallied 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists). Second in the NHL in scoring, Huberdeau's career-high point total now sits at 105.

"He was unbelievable," Brunette said. "He was so much fun to watch tonight. He had the puck on a string. He created so much. It's kind of almost a shame he only got one point out of it. I know he's in the scoring race, and he deserved to have five or six tonight."
As for his game-winner tonight, Huberdeau knew Gibson wasn't going to make it easy.
"I kind of panicked," he chuckled. "I thought he was going to open up, but with the way he plays he doesn't really open up his five-hole. I just stuck with it and tried to roof the puck."

4. OWNING THE PUCK

There's no question the Panthers deserved a few more goals.
By the time the final horn sounded, they owned mammoth advantages in shot attempts (95-37), scoring chances (55-19) and high-danger shot attempts (22-6), per NaturalStatTrick.com. With numbers like that, players knew it was only a matter of time until they broke through.
"We did a good job sticking with it, not getting too mad at ourselves or taking our confidence away or anything like that," Duclair said. "Just happy with how things worked out, for sure."
Leading the charge in the possession battle, the Panthers led 22-6 in shot attempts and 15-4 in shots on goal at 5-on-5 when the line of Duclair, Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe was on the ice.
"We've had success because we're buying in and doing the right things," Brunette said.

5. GIBBY GOES OFF

So why didn't the Panthers fill up the back of the net?
Gibson.
It's just that simple.
Setting a franchise record with 52 saves in a losing effort, the Ducks goaltender looked nearly unbeatable at times. Standing tall against Florida's top-ranked offense, he gobbled up 11 of the 12 high-danger shots that came toward his crease, including several highlight-reel robberies.
Preparing to face more top goalies in the playoffs, the Cats passed a good test tonight.
"We know we're going to face it," Brunette said. "We know it's going to happen. Again, the way group stayed to the plan and didn't force the issue and stayed consistent with the way we played, again, speaks of this group right now."