5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 4, Canucks 3

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers are continuing to gain confidence following a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
Improving to 20-20-4, Florida has won four of its last six games.
"Now it's time to go," Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg said of the team's second-half push. "We've got to get on the gas. It doesn't matter. We've just got to start getting points here."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. LOMBO ON THE GO

The new-look fourth line has got something cooking.
Following some effective work by Colin White in the offensive zone, Lomberg got the Panthers on the board when he deposited a loose puck into the net after Gustav Forsling's shot from the point clipped off a screening Givani Smith to make it 1-1 at 8:58 of the first period.

"Just hard work," Lomberg said of Smith, who was acquired in a trade with the Red Wings last month. "He's predictable, gets pucks in deep. He wins his battles and he's a good net-front."
Over the last two games, Florida has led 17-12 in shot attempts, 8-6 in shots on goal and 1-0 in goals when Smith, White and Lomberg have been together at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
As for Lomberg, the speedy sparkplug has tallied 10 points (five goals, five assists) this season.

2. STAAL STAYS HOT

Even after 448 career goals, Eric Staal still celebrates like a rookie.
Putting a big smile on both his own face as well as those of the fans in the stands, the 38-year-old veteran pulled the Panthers even a mere 1:46 into the second period when he re-directed a point shot from Josh Mahura past Spencer Martin to make it 2-2 and wipe the slate clean.

From that point on, the Panthers would never trail or be tied again.
"We got rolling there pretty good in the second period," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said.
Providing the Panthers with a consistent source of offense since Dec. 1, Staal, who didn't need too much time to shake off the rust after not playing in the NHL at all last season, has produced 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) and won 50.2% of his faceoffs over his last 21 contests.
With 448 goals in his career, Staal ranks fifth among active players in goals behind Alex Ovechkin (810), Sidney Crosby (538), Steven Stamkos (499) and Evgeni Malkin (458).

3. EK-BLAST

Aaron Ekblad let it rip against the Canucks.
Doing a lot of damage from the left circle on the power play in the second period, Ekblad not only one-timed the goal that put the Panthers up 3-2 at 3:06, but also fired a similar blast that generated the rebound that helped lead to Aleksander Barkov's goal that made it 4-2 at 9:51.

"It was huge," Ekblad said of the power play, which ranks second in the NHL since Christmas with a 37.5% success rate. "It came up big. Opportunities presented themselves, and we were able to bury them."
Getting back into a nice groove after battling through some early-season injuries, Ekblad has posted five points (three goals, two assists) over his last five games. With two points against Vancouver, the 26-year-old blueliner also earned the 48th multi-point game of his career.
"We're starting to get some confidence in our game and in ability to make plays," said Ekblad, who's tied for first among Florida's defensemen with seven goals. "That's always a good sign."

4. BARKOV AND THE DISH

All that Barkov had to do on this one was fire away.
Following a shot from Ekblad on the power play, Sam Reinhart set up the captain with a slick no-look backhand pass through the slot for an easy goal to make it 4-2 at 9:51 of the second period.

"If we want to go on a run, we know special teams are going to be crucial," Barkov said.
Producing at a point-per-game pace this season, Barkov has registered 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 34 games. Earning at least one point in eight of his last 12 games, the 27-year-old forward has racked up 15 points (six goals, nine assists) during that heated stretch.
Always strong in the possession game, the Panthers led 15-8 in shot attempts, 4-3 in scoring chances and 8-3 in shots on goal when Barkov was deployed at 5-on-5 against the Canucks.
"We started really well in the first period, and just kept going," Barkov said.

5. BOB'S BIG STOPS

Sergei Bobrovsky made more than a few eye-popping saves against Vancouver.
Finishing with 35 saves, the two-time Vezina Trophy was especially clutch in the third period where he stopped 14 of 15 shots, including three saves in an eight-second span on J.T. Miller, Tyler Myers and Bo Horvat to keep the Panthers on top 4-2 near the midway point of the frame.
In the final 32 seconds of regulation, Bobrovsky made three saves to lock in the win.
"Huge saves," Ekblad said. "We follow Bob every night out of the tunnel. The way he prepares is second to none. He's a great role model for this team and he plays big every night."
Managing the bulk of the workload in between the pipes for the Panthers as of late, Bobrovsky, who sits at 11-13-1 on the season, has started 14 of the last 18 games. In that stretch, he's posted a 7-7-0 record with a 2.89 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and one shutout.
"I love it," Bobrovsky said. "I love to be there with my teammates and compete for those points, get in a rhythm. I love to play a lot."