5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 5, Red Wings 1

SUNRISE, Fla. --Coming out on top in an important divisional matchup, the Florida Panthers were in full control from start to finish in a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
Starting to find their groove, the Panthers (13-10-4) have won three of their last four games.
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. BARKOV RETURNS

Welcome back, Aleksander Barkov!
After missing the previous six games while recovering from a non-COVID illness, the captain looked no worse for wear in his return to action. Skating 17:12 against Detroit -- including 3:06 on the power play and 3:36 on the penalty kill -- he tallied an assist, a block and a takeaway.
The top man in the dot, Barkov also went 11-for-19 (57.9%) in the faceoff circle.
"It was awesome," forward Matthew Tkachuk said of getting Barkov back. "He just settles everything down for us and changes our team completely. He's not only the best player on our team, but one of the best in the league. Getting a guy like that back is huge for us."
Picking up right where he left off, Barkov has produced five goals and 10 assists over his last 13 games to push his point total up to 19 (five goals, 14 assists). When he was on the ice against the Red Wings at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 15-3 in shot attempts and 10-1 in scoring chances.
Barkov's 83.33 CF% at 5-on-5 led all skaters.
"It felt good getting back into the game," Barkov said. "Playing with these guys is always fun."

2. CALL-UPS CHIP IN

Called up from the AHL on Monday, Chris Tierney has wasted no time in making an impact.
After notching an assist on Tuesday in Winnipeg, the veteran forward opened the scoring for the Panthers against the Red Wings when he took a pass from Marc Staal, sped through Detroit's defense and beat Alex Nedeljkovic off his backhand to make it 1-0 at 18:05 of the first period.

"I feel good," Tierney said. "I've been playing a lot [in the AHL], so I've kind of built the confidence up. I came up here feeling good about my game. It's nice to contribute on the scoresheet."
No stranger to the NHL, Tierney, who inked a one-year, two-way contract with Florida in the offseason, has recorded 228 points (74 goals, 154 assists) over 562 career games in the NHL. In 19 games with Charlotte in the AHL this season, he's tallied three goals and 13 assists.
Coming from the Checkers with Tierney, Zac Dalpe and Matt Kiersted have also been standing out. In addition to Dalpe scoring against the Jets, Kiersted put the Panthers up 4-1 against the Red Wings when he boxed-out a defender and buried a rebound at 14:52 of the second period.

"I do think it has something to do with that room," Maurice said of the call-ups finding success. "It's incredibly inclusive. They welcome these guy in and they're on the team. They make them feel a part of it and they talk on the bench. It's a close-knit group. These guys go out and truly play for each other even if they're not regularly on our team. They've been good, and we need those legs."

3. LUOSTY LIGHTS THE LAMP

You think Eetu Luostarinen likes his new linemate?
Lining up alongside Barkov on the second line, Luostarinen doubled the lead just 1:47 into the second period when he tipped a shot from the captain into the twine to put the Panthers up 2-0.
"He's been really good since we got him," Barkov said of Luostarinen. "This year he's making plays and is really responsible in his own end. He plays penalty kill, he plays power play, you can put that guy any time on the ice and he's going to do a good job. It's fun to play with him."

Shifting between the wing and center this season, Luostarinen continues to evolve into an important, flexible piece for the Panthers. On pace to surpass the career-high 26 points he posted in 2021-22, he's already racked up 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 26 games.
The top line against the Red Wings at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 10-3 in shot attempts, 4-1 in shots on goal and 7-1 in scoring chances when Barkov, Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart were deployed together.

4. MAHURA AND THE DEFENSE

Josh Mahura loves to get involved.
Matching a career-high with his third goal of the season, the waiver-wire pickup pushed the lead to 3-0 for the Panthers when he zoomed down from the blue line after a shot from Sam Bennett, crashed the crease and powered a rebound past Nedeljkovic just 2:45 into the second period.

Doing a bit of everything in addition to his goal against Detroit, Mahura also recorded a hit, a block and garnered a +2 rating over 14:37 of ice time. Strong in the possession game, Florida held the Red Wings to just 0.12 expected goals when he was deployed on the ice at 5-on-5.
That 0.12 mark led all skaters.
Overall, the Panthers did an outstanding job defensively as a unit against the Red Wings. Per the numbers at NaturalStatTrick.com, they surrendered just three high-danger shot attempts at 5-on-5, and 19 of the 20 total shots that ended up at their net were gobbled up by Sergei Bobrovsky.
"We did pretty much everything we wanted to do," Barkov said. "Bob was really good in the net as always and helped us to win the game."

5. TKACHUK'S HIGHLIGHT

Is it too early to start talking about the race for the Hart Trophy?
Well, at this point you'd have to put Matthew Tkachuk in the conversation.
Pocketing his 13th multi-point game of the season, the star forward posted two points against the Red Wings, including a highlight-reel goal that made it 5-1 at 15:37 of the second period.
Showing off his hands, Tkachuk roofed a far-side shot with a flick of his wrist.

"I was just looking for Benny the whole time on the 2-on-1," Tkachuk said of the spectacular score. "They did a good job and backchecked pretty hard and kind of turned it into a little bit of a 2-on-2. I was able to get around and the only way I was able to shoot it without getting blocked was if I did it really quick. I didn't really pick a spot, I just tried to go far-side as quick as I could."
Earning at least one point in 20 of 25 games, Tkachuk leads the Panthers and ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists). Getting off to an outstanding start in South Florida, Tkachuk's 37 points are the most among all players skating on a new team in 2022-23.
"I thought it was just such a complete team effort," Tkachuk said.