5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers head into All-Star break sitting atop division

In their final game before enjoying a well-deserved rest, the Panthers saw their winning streak snapped at four games with a 5-2 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
Playing on the second half of a back-to-back after putting on a show in an 8-4 win at Columbus on Monday, the Panthers went toe-to-toe with the Rangers throughout tonight's game, but even with a slight 39-36 edge in scoring chances they couldn't muster the late push that they needed.
Despite the loss, Florida remains in first place in the Atlantic Division at 32-10-5.

"I thought we were in the game the whole time," Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "We had some pushes, they had some pushes back. They're a good team over there, and we're a great team too. They played strong at home. … They got away with the two points tonight."
Breaking the ice in the Big Apple, the Rangers took an early lead when an attempted centering feed from Mika Zibanejad was accidently poked past Spencer Knight by the outstretched stick of one of his own defenders in front to make it a 1-0 game just 35 seconds into the opening period.
After having a goal overturned for being ruled offside, the Panthers, not deterred one bit, lit the lamp again soon after when Anthony Duclair collected a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau and ripped a wrist shot past Igor Shesterkin from the center of the right circle to make it 1-1 at 10:44.
Sent to the power play in the second period, the Panthers took the lead when, after Aleksander Barkov pinged a shot off the post, Sam Reinhart, who had a hat trick in yesterday's win over the Blue Jackets, pounced on the ensuing juicy rebound and scored to make it a 2-1 game at 2:18.
Just 1:09 later, Alexis Lafreniere turned a defensive-zone turnover into a goal to make it 2-2.
"I thought our start was really good," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "I thought the puck luck wasn't really following us around. I think after the second goal, we just kind of had trouble rebounding off of that. … We didn't really have the energy after that one."
Cashing in on a power play of their own, the Rangers took the lead when Ryan Strome sauced a pass over a diving defender right onto the stick of Chris Kreider, who then buried his league-leading 32nd goal of the season - 16th on the man advantage - to make it a 3-2 game at 17:25.
Back at it again in the third period, Kreider added an insurance goal for the Rangers when he scored on the power play a second time to make it a 4-2 game with just 5:21 left in regulation.
Knight finished with 30 saves, while Shesterkin made 34.
After picking up wins in 14 of their last 18 games, the Panthers will now hit the pause button for a little bit before kicking off their second-half push with a huge matchup at Carolina on Feb. 16.
"It's going to get harder, for sure," Brunette said. "The schedule is demanding. We really have to take this break and use it intelligently -- resting, rejuvenating and getting ready for that push."
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's loss in New York…

1. DUKE STRIKES

Nothing like a little top cheddar in the city that never sleeps.
One of the most-lethal players in the NHL on the rush, Duclair pulled the Panthers even in the first period when he took a pass from Huberdeau and buried a top-shelf snipe from the center of the right circle to make it a 1-1 game just past the midway point of the first period in New York.

His 19th goal of the season, Duclair has been nearly a point-per-game player during his second season with the Panthers, racking up 35 points in 39 games. A steady contributor up front, the speedy forward has now accumulated 10 points (five goals, five assists) over his last 11 games.

2. REINO'S ROAD TRIP

What a road trip for Reinhart.
After posting the fifth hat trick of his career during an 8-4 win at Columbus on Monday, the versatile forward added yet another goal during the second period on the power play tonight.

Dating back to Dec. 30, Reinhart, who has been shining bright during his first season with the Panthers, has racked up a whopping 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 14 games. In that same stretch, only Huberdeau (31) and Barkov (22) have tallied more points among Panthers.
Thanks to that surge, he now ranks second on Florida with 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists).

3. POINTS FOR BARKY

It seems Barkov can't go more than a game without picking up a point these days.
Earning assists on both of Florida's goals against the Rangers, the captain has now produced 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) over his last 14 games. During that torrid stretch on offense, he's tallied six multi-point performances and was held off the scoresheet in just three games.
Needing just 34 games to reach the 40-point mark, Barkov, the reigning Selke Trophy winner, ranks tied for first on the Panthers in goals (21), including a team-high four shorthanded scores.
Also the team's leader in the faceoff circle, he went 14-for-19 (73.7%) in the dot tonight.

4. AT THE BREAK

The Panthers don't have a lot to complain about heading into the All-Star break.
In addition to occupying first place in the Atlantic Division, they also lead the league in goals (192) and shots per game (36.6), and are tied with Colorado for best goal differential (+55).
Always a force in the possession battle, they even own a league-best 55.7 CF% at 5-on-5.
"For the most part, we've been playing really well," Brunette said. "We had a lot of hockey, a lot of travel. We were starting to run on fumes here a little bit tonight, but our guys have done an unbelievable job of bringing energy night in, night out."
Benefiting from an incredible amount of depth, eight different Panthers have already notched at least 30 points - including a team-leading 64 from Huberdeau, who was just named the NHL's "Player of the Month" for January - while 11 different players have scored at least eight goals.
Speaking of January, Florida's 74 goals last month were the most by any team in 25 years.
"We've been having some great games," Duclair said. "It's fun to see when everyone is chipping in. It's not just a couple guys, it really is the whole team from top to bottom. Everyone has been playing great. Our goalies have been really solid making key saves at key moments. It's really fun to play right now. We're going to have this nice little break and come back reenergized."

5. ALL-STAR WEEKEND

While most of the Panthers will get some rest, two have a busy weekend ahead.
Earning a nice honor for their strong first halves, Huberdeau and Brunette will both be heading to Las Vegas for NHL All-Star Weekend, which will consist of the All-Star Skills Competition on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and then the All-Star Game at 3 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday.
The All-Star Skills Competition will feature events such as Fastest Skater, Save Streak, Hardest Shot and Accuracy Shooting, while the All-Star Game will consist of three games played in a 3-on-3 format between teams from each of division: Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific and Central.
Making his first trip to the event, Brunette will coach Huberdeau's Atlantic Division squad.
"It's going to be a unique experience," Brunette said. "I'm looking forward to it."
To stay updated on All-Star Weekend, follow @FlaPanthers on Twitter.

BONUS: AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE

For the first day of Black History Month, the Panthers did something special.
Working with Duclair, a founding member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, the organization created powerful "We Stand Against Racism" shirts that players wore prior to tonight's game.

"That was an awesome initiative by the whole organization," Duclair said. "Panthers general manager] Bill Zito came up to me a couple weeks ago and asked if I wanted to do it, and obviously I was right on board. That was the first time in my career than an NHL team has come up to me and asked me to do anything about Black History Month. I really appreciate that from the management and obviously appreciate the boys wearing that before the game. This team is very supportive of every cause. Whether it's Black History Month or mental health, anything that goes with helping the community, it's been great. I'm really appreciative of it."
In celebration of Black History Month, the Panthers also launched "28 Days of Black Excellence, which will recognize South Florida residents who are making a difference in the local community.
To view the honorees, click **[HERE**.