5 Takeaways: Huberdeau Tallies 5 Points as Panthers Clinch Playoff Spot

For just the seventh time since their inception, the Panthers are heading to the postseason.
Led by a pair of two-goal performances from franchise cornerstones Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, the Panthers punched their ticket in convincing fashion, riding a four-goal explosion in the third period to a 7-4 win over the Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

"You could just tell in training camp," Huberdeau said when asked about the team's resurgent season. "We were having fun and ready to go. We didn't know what was going to happen in the season, but right from the get-go we started playing well and playing the right way. That's our team and our identity. We were trying to find the identity of our team, and we found it this year."
Giving the Predators an early edge, Ryan Ellis locked, loaded and let loose a gargantuan slap shot from the point that flew past Sergei Bobrovsky -- who was screened by Luke Kunin -- and into the twine to make it a 1-0 game just 6:07 after the puck had dropped in the opening period.
On fire for more than a month, Barkov then doused himself in even more gasoline when he took a pass from Keith Yandle and beat a screened Juuse Saros with a laser of a wrist shot from just beyond the left circle to even things up at 1-1 at 8:28 with his fifth goal in his last five contests.
Despite heading into the first intermission tied, the Panthers likely deserved a few more goals in the opening 20 minutes. Coming out strong, they paced the Predators in shots on goals (19-4), shot attempts (28-6) and scoring chances (18-3) at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"I thought we had possession, good speed and made some nice plays," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "We were way more inside than what we were talking about going into the game. We had a lot of sustained pressure in their end, and sustained a lot of pucks as well."
Finally cashing in after firing on all cylinders in the first period, Anthony Duclair put the Panthers back on top when he managed to one-time a deflected pass straight past Saros while gliding down towards the bottom of the right circle to make it a 2-1 game at 2:56 of the middle frame.
Taking their first lead of the game in the blink of an eye, the Predators then went up 3-2 when Kunin and Tanner Jeannot each beat Bobrovsky off rebounds at 6:50 and 12:40, respectively.
With #Hartkov picking up steam on social media, Barkov then tied the game for the Cats once again when he maneuvered past two defenders before beating Saros to make it 3-3 at 17:32.
But with 23 seconds left in the period, Ellis matched Barkov's two-goal performance when he powerfully one-timed a pass from Matt Duchene past Bobrovsky to send Nashville ahead 4-3.
Getting that goal back right away in the third period, Owen Tippett jammed home a loose puck in the blue paint to make it 4-4 and get the game all squared up once again at 4:57. Not long after that, Vatrano, taking Florida's 50th shot of the game, roofed a goal to make it 5-4 at 7:15.
"An awesome feeling," Vatrano said of his game-winning goal. "This is something we've been waiting a long time for, especially since I've been here. We've been close many times. It feels good, really good. Guys are happy. We're excited. We knew that we needed a big third."
Coming into the game to start in the third period in relief of Bobrovsky, rookie goaltender Spencer Knight, who had only one game of NHL experience under his belt prior to taking the ice, shut the door on the Predators from that point on, turning aside all nine shots he faced.
At the other end of the ice, Saros, who was under attack all game, stopped 49 of 55 shots.
"Solid, composed," Quenneville said of Knight, who stopped 33 of 34 shots while picking up the win in his NHL debut back on April 20. "Kind of comparable to his first start, the way he handles the puck coming out of his net. He sees plays, makes plays and shows complete composure."
Icing the cake later in the final frame, Huberdeau took a feed from Barkov and sent a shot past a diving Saros on the man advantage to increase Florida's lead to 6-4 at 13:48. Then, at 18:23, Huberdeau locked down the 7-4 final when he was tripped up while staring down and empty net.
"In the third, we came out really hard," Huberdeau said. "I'm proud of the guys, everybody showed up. We played hard, and it showed. We played that way and came out with a big win."
With a grin-inducing "x" now sitting next to their name, the Panthers (32-14-5) will look to finish out the regular season strong as they prepare to begin their exciting playoff push next month.
"It's been a fun year for us as far as making some progress and being consistent in a lot of ways," Quenneville said. "Once you go into that next season, it's a whole different animal. Organizationally, [making the playoffs] is going to be the best thing for a number of guys."
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's playoff-clinching win in Nashville…

1. BARKOV THE BEAST

At this point, we might just have to get Barkov a permanent spot in "5 Takeaways."
Pulling the Panthers even on the power play, the superstar center took a pass from Yandle and wired a quick wrist shot from the top of the left circle past Saros -- who was blinded by a well-executed screen from Huberdeau -- into the cage to make it 1-1 at 8:28 of the opening period.

Coming back online, Florida's power play converted on three of its five opportunities.
"Nice to see our power play have a good night," Quenneville said of the scoring sequence. "Barky ripping a shot, and Huby screening the goalie. It got us right back into the game."
In the second period, Barkov beat Saros once again when he masterfully slipped past a pair of defenders along the half-wall, skated toward the net and scored five-hole to make it 3-3 17:32.

On an epic scoring tear, Barkov has lit the lamp 16 times over his last 20 games.
"We just had to grind it out," said Barkov, who ranks first on the Panthers in goals (24) and second in points (52). "We played really well in the third, played in their zone almost the whole period. I'm really happy with the result, really happy to be going to the postseason."

2. THE DUKE DOES IT AGAIN

The Duke's reign is showing no signs of ending.
Cracking the scoresheet in 10 of his last 11 games, the speedy forward put the Panthers up 2-1 at 2:56 of the second period when he one-timed a deflected pass past Saros and into the twine.

"Duke added a lot of speed [to Barkov's line]," Quenneville said.
Earing a promotion to the top line tonight, Duclair posted a stunning 77.78 CF% at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com. Seeing his point total skyrocket in recent weeks, he's recorded four goals and nine assists over his last 11 games to up his season total to 27 (seven goals, 20 assists).

3. TIPPETT'S TIMELY GOAL

It was great to see Tippett finally get rewarded with a big game.
Coming oh-so-close to lighting the lamp in recent games, the rookie sniper ended up netting the biggest goal of his promising career tonight when he jammed home a loose puck from on top of the blue paint past Saros to send Florida into a 4-4 tie with Nashville at 4:57 of the third period.

"Tippy was really good tonight," Huberdeau said.
Suiting up in 40 games with the Panthers this season, Tippett has notched six goals and eight assists for 14 points. Always looking to score, the 22-year-old has fired at least one shot on net in 23 of his last 25 games, including firing off a game-high eight against the Predators tonight.
Earning his first multi-point game, Tippett finished with a goal and an assist tonight.

4. THE CLUTCH CONTINUES

When the game is on the line, you call Mr. Clutch.
Locked into a 4-4 tie in the third period, Vatrano took a pass from Alex Wennberg and, seemingly in the blink of an eye, roofed a shot over Saros to put Florida up 5-4 at 7:15.

"A huge relief," Vatrano said of earning a playoff berth. "This is something that we've been working towards all season. We have a super tough conference, and you play within your conference. We knew the importance of all these games from the start of the season. We got off on the right foot and didn't look back. To clinch with five games left, it's a great feeling."
Lighting the lamp eight times over his last 15 games, Vatrano is currently tied with Huberdeau for second on Florida with 18 goals. Why the Mr. Clutch moniker? Well, the 27-year-old forward has recorded 14 of those goals in the third period or overtime, including seven game-winners.

5. HUNTING THE PREDATORS

The Predators are likely very happy they don't have to see Huberdeau again this season.
Posting his second five-point game against Nashville this season, Huberdeau racked up three assists before capping off Florida's playoff-clinching victory with a pair of goals late in the third period. After scoring on the power play to make it 6-4 at 13:48, he was then awarded an automatic goal to make it 7-4 at 18:23 after being tripped while skating toward an empty net.

Assisting on Huberdeau's first goal, Sam Bennett also notched his third helper of the game.
"It's nice to see him get a couple," Quenneville said of Huberdeau. "He generated a lot. Benny and him together have been an amazing line. In a short amount of time, they really look like they work well with one another."
Following his prolific production on offense tonight, Huberdeau, at the time of this writing, leads the Panthers and ranks eighth in the NHL in scoring with 57 points (18 goals, 39 assists). And over his last nine games alone, he's amassed a whopping 15 points (four goals, 12 assists).
For Huberdeau, however, points in the standings matter more than those on the scoresheet.
"It doesn't matter the points, really," Huberdeau said. "I just want to help the team offensively. For me, every time on the ice, I just want to create something and be in the offensive zone."