5 Takeaways: Panthers Pass 'Big Test' with Win at Tampa Bay

The Panthers passed their first big test of the season with flying colors.
Taking two out of three games from the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Panthers rode a four-goal surge in the second period to a 6-4 win over the Lighting at Amalie Arena on Monday.

Owning the top-ranked defense in the NHL, Tampa Bay was surrendering an average of just over two goals per game before giving up a whopping 12 over three contests against Florida.
"We had a lot of people doubting us early on in the year," Panthers winger Anthony Duclair said. "I think we proved a lot of people wrong here these last three games. We're going to obviously see [the Lightning] again. We want to make sure we're playing our best against these teams."
Returning to the action after a one-game stint on the NHL's COVID-19 protocols list, Steven Stamkos broke the ice for Tampa Bay when he beat goaltender Chris Driedger with a one-timer from his favorite spot -- the center of the left circle --to make it 1-0 at 6:24 of the opening period.
Pulling the Panthers even less than two minutes later, Jonathan Huberdeau took a pass from Patric Hornqvist - who aggressively stole the puck from goaltender Curtis McElhinney behind Tampa Bay's net - and quickly sent the rubber into the abandoned cage to make it 1-1 at 7:56.
Creating offense through a strong forecheck in the second period, Frank Vatrano forced the puck away from a Lighting skater and onto the stick of Eetu Luostarinen. Facing down a lone defender, the crafty Finn then deftly set up Owen Tippett for a goal to put Florida up 2-1 at 4:59.
That's when things really opened up.
Yanked down on a breakaway, Vatrano made it 3-1 when he beat McElhinney on the ensuring penalty shot at 8:39. Lighting the lamp for the first time as a Panther, Duclair then used his all-world speed to burn a defender and bury a wrap-around to increase the lead to 4-1 at 10:23.
At 11:42, Alexander Volkov answered with a goal for the Lightning to cut Florida's lead down to 4-2. But just 54 seconds after that, Aleksander Barkov lifted a shot past McElhinney and into the cage to give the Cats their second three-goal lead of the middle frame and make it 5-2 at 12:26.
Florida's four goals in the second period came on just four shots over a span of 7:37.
"That's when we're at our best, when we're playing on our toes and we're breaking the puck out really quick," Duclair said of the scoring spree in the second. "It starts with our D. They're feeding us with speed. When we're hard on the forecheck, we're a tough team to play against."
Pushing back in the other direction, Volkov and Tyler Johnson then scored for Tampa Bay at 15:50 and 16:38, respectively, to make it a 5-4 game heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
If you're keeping score at home, that's seven combined goals scored in the second period.
"That was kind of wild," Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman said. "That was definitely one for the fans. Every shift there was a good chance for a goal. It's just the surges of the game. That happens. We had a good start to the period, got some goals, and then you saw [the Lightning] got desperate, upped their game and we couldn't really handle their surge."
Shutting down Tampa Bay's comeback attempt, the Cats killed of a key penalty before Stralman ripped a long shot past McElhinney to make it a 6-4 game just 59 seconds into the third period.

"Strals straight down main street with a great shot," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of the critical insurance goal. "A huge goal for us. I thought it got us our composure back. Five minutes after that, we got a little loose as well. But I think we tightened it up over the last 10 [minutes]."
Improving to a solid 4-1-1 on the season, Driedger made 27 saves, including stopping all 11 shots he faced in the third period. Across the ice, McElhinney allowed six goals on 21 shots.
"People are saying this is the best team in the league, and we just beat them two out of three," Driedger said. "We had kind of played some teams early that were a little bit lower in the standings and we got our feet under us in those games and won. This was a big test for us."
Off to a sensational 9-2-2 start, the Panthers now trail the Lightning (10-3-1) by just one point for first place in the Central Division with one fewer game played. Showing a lot of resolve early on, Florida also improved to an outstanding 4-0-0 following losses this season with tonight's victory.
"I liked how we stuck together in a real competitive and important game from our perspective of where we're at in the division and the needing of points," Quenneville said. "Everybody seems to be picking them up right now. I just thought going into this three-game set with them, coming out ahead is a feather in our cap. But we can't rest on any laurels knowing there's a lot of hockey to be played."
Here are five takeaways from Monday's win in Tampa Bay…

1. THE H2H GOAL

H2H no longer stands for head-to-head.
Now, it means Huberdeau to Hornqvist. With the Panthers in an early 1-0 hole, Hornqvist swiped the puck from McElhinney behind the net and sent a pass toward the slot. With Tampa Bay's goalie stuck out of position, Huberdeau the simply fired the puck into the empty net to even things up at 1-1 at 7:56 of the first period.

"Horny made a great pass in front," Huberdeau said. "Like I said, a pretty easy goal."
Florida's leading scorer, Huberdeau tallied two points tonight to increase his team-high total to 17 (five goals, 12 assists). Always bringing his best against the team's cross-state rival, the 27-year-old winger has posted 11 goals and 23 assists over 34 career games versus the Lightning.

2. TIPPETT'S SNIPE

You knew it was only a matter of time before Tippett buried one.
Showing off his powerful shot, the rookie sniper finished off a 2-on-1 break with Luostarinen by rifling a shot just under McElhinney's glove to put Florida on top 2-1 at 4:59 of the middle frame.

"Tippy's got a great shot," Quenneville said. "He's been snake-bit a little bit in some tough areas there, but he's starting to get a little bit more opportunities, and he doesn't need many to score."
In addition to tonight's score being his first of the season, it was also Tippett's first goal since Oct. 26, 2017, when he lit the lamp in an 8-3 victory over Anaheim during his brief stint with the Panthers as an 18-year-old rookie before he was sent back to juniors to get some seasoning.
Now 21, he's posted three points (one goal, two assists) in 11 games in 2020-21.

3. THE TANK ROLLS ON

The Tank has been on the warpath as of late.
Using his world-class wheels to draw a penalty on a breakaway, the feisty winger then scored on the ensuing 1-on-1 showdown with McElhinney to make it 3-1 at 8:39 of the second period. The penalty shot was the first of Vatrano's career.

"Frankie utilized his speed and quickness to draw the penalty shot," Quenneville said. "A great finish as well in that situation."
Catching fire, Vatrano has now touched the twine in each of the last three games. Playing a key role on the third line this season, he's racked up five points (four goals, one assist) in 13 games.

4. DUE NO MORE

There's no other way to put it: Duclair was due.
After coming oh-so-close several times earlier this season, the 25-year-old winger finally scored his first goal as a member of the Panthers, turning on the turbo boost and flying past a defender before slipping a wrap-around goal past McElhinney to make it 4-1 at 10:23 of the middle frame.

"A long time coming," Duclair said. "I'm pretty happy to get my first one for this team here. I just want to keep working hard. I'm doing the best I can to help chip away here. On that specific play, I just wanted to use my speed."
Even when he isn't scoring goals, Duclair has provided the Panthers with quite the punch on the team's top line alongside Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. Crashing toward the net whenever he can, he's already accumulated six assists thanks in large part to his ability to create rebounds.
"Extremely happy with how the boys bounced back tonight," Duclair said. "A huge effort."

5. BARKOV PASSES JOKINEN

The captain passed another captain in the record books tonight.
Skating toward Tampa Bay's net with a defender in tow, Barkov went to his forehand and then waited patiently before lifting a shot over McElhinney -- who went down in an attempt to make the initial stop -- and into the twine to push Florida's lead to 5-2 at 12:36 of the second period.

That goal, however, was just icing on the cake.
With the primary assist on Duclair's goal earlier in the period, Barkov recorded the 420th point of his career, which moved him past former Panthers captain and fellow Finn Olli Jokinen (419) for the second-most points in franchise history (Huberdeau has the all-time record with 454 points).

Second on the team in scoring this season, Barkov has 14 points (five goals, nine assists).

BONUS: GUDAS DOES IT AGAIN

Can we all take a moment to appreciate this booming hit by Gudas in the tweet below?

Showing why he's known as "The Butcher" all season long, the hard-nosed defenseman has certainly been getting it done for the Panthers in the physicality department this season. With a game-high eight hits tonight in Tampa Bay, he's upped his team-leading total to 72 already.