5 TAKEAWAYS: Huberdeau Scores Twice as Panthers Stay Unbeaten

Jonathan Huberdeau scored a pair of goals and Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 27 of 29 shots as the streaking Panthers beat the Flyers by a score of 4-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.
With the win, Florida extended its franchise-best start to 5-0-0.

"We know how the start [to the season] is really important," Huberdeau said. "Obviously, having five wins right now is huge for us. It's been a really good start. We've played some good teams. This has been a big test, but I think we've gotten over that hump. It's nice to have a good start."
Kicking off a back-and-forth contest in Philadelphia, the Panthers cashed in on the power play.
On their second opportunity with the man advantage in the opening frame, Huberdeau collected a pass from Aaron Ekblad, skated into the left circle and ripped a pinpoint shot top-shelf and past Carter Hart to break the ice and make it 1-0 with just three minutes remaining in the period.
Sent to a power play of their own early in the second period, the Flyers evened things up when Claude Giroux blasted a slap shot past Sergei Bobrovsky through traffic to make it 1-1 at 4:23.
Trailing for the first time since Opening Night, the Panthers then fell behind 2-1 when Cam Atkinson slipped a shot through Bobrovsky's five-hole on a shorthanded breakaway at 10:53.
Always a threat to score on the penalty kill, Atkinson scored four shorthanded goals in 2020-21.
"We're confident in each other, and it shows," Huberdeau said. "It went from 1-0 to 2-1, but we didn't panic. We know what we can do and that we can come back, and that's what we did."
Indeed.
With just 27 seconds left on the clock in the middle frame, MacKenzie Weegar floated a pass toward the net in transition that was tapped by a crashing Owen Tippett past Hart and into the cage for a key goal to pull the Panthers even and make it a 2-2 game going into the final frame.
"When you give up a shorty, it can usually turn the complexion of the game," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of the team's measured and impressive response to Atkinson's goal. "I still thought we finished that period well, got a break on a goal and then it was anybody's game."
Getting some payback for Atkinson's earlier shorthanded tally, the Panthers got their own goal on the kill when Huberdeau, after having his initial shot stopped, banked a follow-up attempt from behind the net off Hart's pads and in to make it a 3-2 contest at 7:53 of the third period.
With the goal, Huberdeau surpassed Olli Jokinen for the most power-play points in franchise history with 154. New to the penalty kill this season, Huberdeau said the team was due for some puck luck.
"He made a toe save on me on my backhand, and the puck just came to me behind the net," said Huberdeau, who had scored only one other shorthanded goal in his 10-year career. "I just tried to bank it, and it worked out. It was huge for us. … Sometimes you get some bounces."
With 1:12 left in regulation, Sam Reinhart scored an empty-net goal to lock in the 4-2 win.
"Getting a shorty back right at them, that's the break of the night," Quenneville said. "I think Huby had a heck of a game. It was nice to see him and that line score some big goals for us."
Looking to stay perfect, the Panthers will host the Coyotes at FLA Live Arena on Monday.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday's win in Philadelphia…

1. HUBERDEAU'S FIRST

It was only a matter of time before Huberdeau lit the lamp.
Finding the back of the net for the first time this season, the playmaking wizard drew first blood for the Panthers tonight when he wired a shot past Hart, who was trying to peek around a huge screen from Patric Hornqvist, on the man advantage to make it 1-0 late in the opening period.

"It's always good to get your first one out of the way," Huberdeau said. "We needed that."
Leading the Panthers in scoring in each of the last two seasons, Huberdeau, who registered the 500th point of his NHL career earlier this week, has notched six points (two goals, four assists) in five games to open his 2021-22 campaign, with two of those points coming on the power play.
Of course, he wasn't done yet after this goal.

2. FIRST PERIOD AND POSSESSION

The Panthers have been on top of their game in the first period.
Outscoring the Flyers 1-0 during the opening 20 minutes tonight, the Panthers now lead 4-1 in the first period through five games this season. Additionally, they've also scored the first goal in all five of those games, which has provided a consistent early cushion for the team to play with.
"It's always nice to take the lead," Huberdeau said. "Defensively this year, we want to play well."
In addition to success in the first period, another trend worth keeping an eye on his just how much the Panthers are consistently winning the possession battle at 5-on-5. Entering tonight's game with the sixth-best CF% in the league, they controlled 56.1% of shot attempts against the Flyers.
Dominant at even-strength, Florida has outscored opponents 14-4 at 5-on-5 play thus far.

3. TIPPETT TURNS THE TIDE

Despite fighting the puck a bit in the second period, the Panthers kept on pushing.
Crashing towards the net for his first goal of the season, Tippett, who was set up by a beautiful backhand pass from Weegar, sent the puck past Hart with just 27 seconds left on the clock to essentially wipe the slate clean and make it a 2-2 game heading into the second intermission.

"I think going into the third period being a [tied] game is a huge confidence boost," Tippett said.
His first goal of the season, Tippett has now accumulated two points (one goal, one assists) through the first five games while playing on a line alongside Huberdeau and Sam Bennett. At 5-on-5 play tonight, that line controlled an outstanding 64.29% of shot attempts in Philadelphia.
"I think [this win] shows we have a lot of fight in us," Tippett said of Florida's ability to fight back. "We're ready for any adversity that comes at us throughout the game. … When you have that mindset, you don't think about it too much. You just go out and work your hardest every shift."

4. HUBY ON THE KILL

Huberdeau racked up 2:23 of shorthanded ice time tonight.
For some perspective, he skated just 1:06 on the kill last season.
But that was then, and this is now. Flouring in his brand-new role on special teams, it was Huberdeau's shorthanded tally - a savvy bank shot from behind the net that caromed off of Hart's pads and in -- that proved to be the difference maker in tonight's win in Philadelphia.
https://www.nhl.com/video/huberdeaus-go-ahead-shg/t-326162470/c-9262717
"He stuck with it, and it was a pretty nifty play," Quenneville said.
Averaging 2:57 of shorthanded ice time per game, Huberdeau has previously said that he thinks he's finding success on the penalty kill because of his familiarity with the power play. He has the mind of power-play specialist, so as penalty killer he knows exactly what opponents want to do.
Working alongside his usual center in Bennett, who had the primary assist on his shorthanded tally after jumping on a costly turnover from the Flyers, he definitely looks confident out there.
"We started with him and Benny in the second rotation, and I think they're getting comfortable with one another," Quenneville said. "They're a threat to score on a turnover. They're pressuring points, and they're aware when it's time to go. Still a work in progress, but we like that combo."

5. BOBROVSKY KEEPS ROLLING

It was another strong start for Bobrovsky tonight.
By turning aside 27 of 29 shots -- including all 12 he faced in the third period to shut the door on the Flyers -- the two-time Vezina Trophy winner improve his own record on the season to 4-0-0.
Over those four starts, he's stopped 129 of 137 shots for an imposing .942 save percentage.

"I think he's just finding the puck really easy," Huberdeau said of Bobrovsky, who improved to 16-5-1 in his career against Philadelphia. "We're trying to help him as much as possible, but he made some key saves in a one-goal game until the end. He's played unbelievably so far."
Playing even better under pressure, Bobrovsky went 10-for-11 on high-danger shots tonight.
"Bob's been outstanding," Quenneville said, summarizing what we've all been thinking.