5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 2, Wild 1 (SO)

SAINT PAUL, Minn. --That's how you start a road trip.
Opening up their crucial four-game trek by securing a massive two points, the Florida Panthers locked down a 2-1 shootout win against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Monday.
Picking up wins in four of their last five games to improve to 27-23-6, the Panthers, who will wrap up their back-to-back on Tuesday in St. Louis, now sit just one point out of a playoff spot.
"We go back-to-back, but we get to feel good tonight," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "We'll get a little more sleep in the morning, and everyone's excited for the game tomorrow."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. LUOSTY'S TIP

Eetu Luostarinen is about to enter unchartered territory.
By tipping in a shot from Gustav Forsling to put the Panthers on top 1-0 in the second period, the 24-year-old forward successfully matched the career-high 26 points he produced in 2021-22.

In the midst of a breakout campaign, Luostarinen needed 22 fewer games to hit that total this season.
Sixth on the Panthers with 12 goals -- also a career high -- he's registered six points (three goals, three assists) over his last nine games. In that same stretch, he's racked up seven takeaways and nine blocked shots, while also ranking third on the team with 46 faceoff wins.
Also big on the penalty kill, Luostarinen logged 3:23 shorthanded minutes in Minnesota.

2. BOB ON A ROLL

Sergei Bobrovsky has been picking up steam at the perfect time for the Panthers.
By turning aside 27 of 28 shots against the Wild -- including one massive stop in overtime that we'll get to in a bit -- Bobrovsky pieced together one of his best starts of the campaign to date.
In four starts since the All-Star break, he's gone 3-1-0 with a .951 save percentage.
"I feel great," Bobrovsky smiled. "Everybody's pulling the rope in the same direction."
Adding a slew of saves to his personal highlight reel, Bobrovsky leads the NHL with 51 high-danger saves since he returned to the crease on Feb. 6. Looking at NaturalStatTrick.com, he's also surrendered just seven goals against 15.35 expected goals in that span.
Over his last seven appearances, Bobrovsky owns a 7-3-1 record.

3. SPURGEON STOPPED

If this save didn't get your heart racing, check your pulse.
Saving the game for the Panthers with roughly 12 seconds left in overtime, Bobrovsky sprawled out to his left to absolutely rob Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon of a surefire goal in overtime.

"The passer made a good play before," said Bobrovsky, complimenting Matt Boldy's pass to set up the shot. "He put me down and made a good pass, so I was just able to put my body over there."
That save was one of nine high-danger stops for No. 72 in the win, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
"Bob was unbelievable today," Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. "He kept us in the game, made some big saves and pretty much gave us the two points."

4. SHOOTOUT STARS

There was no shortage of star power during the shootout in Minnesota.
After Mats Zuccarello scored to put the Wild up 1-0 in Round 1, Lundell answered for the Panthers by showing off his silky mitts before scoring off of his backhand to make it 1-1.
With a 2023 NHL All-Star shooting for each team in Round 2, Kirill Kaprizov, who scored Minnesota's lone goal in regulation, was denied by Bobrovsky, while captain Aleksander Barkov slipped a shot through Filip Gustavsson's five-hole to put the Panthers on top 2-1.
Closings things out, Bobrovsky then denied Frederick Gaudreau to win it for the Panthers in Round 3.
"Minnesota's an outstanding shootout team," Maurice said. "Zuccarello and [Kaprizov], both those guys they started with are brilliant. Our two guys had to be that good. The first four shooters that came out, they're worth paying money to go to a hockey game to see."
As for shooting first, Lundell enjoyed the pressure.
"I don't think about it too much," the 21-year-old forward said. "Of course, yeah, I'm the first shooter and maybe I can help the guys coming after me. Overall, I'm really happy and excited to get the opportunity. I know what I can do."

5. DUELING PKS

Thanks in part to some excellent goaltending, both team's penalty kills shined in Minnesota.
Digging in when down a man, the Panthers went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, while the Wild went 7-for-7, including killing off 43 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage for the Panthers in the third period.
Over the course of their five kills, the Panthers allowed just seven shots on goal. At the other end, Gustavsson, who traded saves with Bobrovsky throughout the entire game, was the best killer for the Wild. Of his 33 saves against Florida, 14 of them came while shorthanded.
"Both penalty kills were really good, and both team's goalies were really good on the penalty kill," Maurice said. "That's the important part, but both teams will think they had opportunities to shoot pucks that they probably didn't on the power play."
Since Jan. 27, Florida has gone 18-for-19 (94.7%) on the penalty kill.