5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers Push Point Streak to 10 on Luostarinen's OT Winner

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Andrew Brunette joked that he's feeling a bit older as of late.
Playing past regulation for the third straight game, Eetu Luostarinen helped the red-hot Panthers push their impressive point streak to 10 games when his pass to the slot in overtime went off a defender's stick and into the net to lock in a heart-pounding 5-4 win over the Capitals at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
Off to the best start in franchise history, Florida sits atop the Atlantic Division with a 9-0-1 record.

"I'll take the points," Brunette smiled. "I think I aged again tonight a little bit, but always take the win."
Finding the back of the net for the third straight game, Aleksander Barkov opened the scoring against the Capitals. With Anthony Duclair poking a loose puck to the captain, Barkov then ripped a shot from the slot right past Ilya Samsonov and into the twine to put the Panthers up 1-0 at 3:07 of the first period.
Washington challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld after a review.
Doubling the lead later in the period, Aaron Ekblad, who has made a dent on the scoresheet in eight of 10 games this season, blasted a shot through traffic to increase Florida's early advantage to 2-0 at 11:04.
Exiting the game due to an upper-body injury, Sergei Bobrovsky was replaced by Spencer Knight in net for the Panthers at the start of the second period. Testing the rookie right away, Daniel Sprong scored on a breakaway to quickly slice Washington's deficit down to 2-1 just 43 seconds into the middle frame.
After the game, Brunette said Bobrovsky is day-to-day and will be revaluated on Friday.
Getting that goal back for the Panthers, Brandon Montour took a pass from Gustav Forsling, who leads the team's defensemen in assists this season with nine, and fired a high-rising shot from the point that sailed right over Samsonov's blocker and into the top corner of the cage to make it a 3-1 game at 7:16.
After that goal, Vitek Vanecek came into the game in relief of Samsonov.
With the Panthers on the power play, Barkov continued to climb the record books when he tapped a juicy rebound past Vanecek to make it a 4-1 game at 15:32. The 188th goal of his career, the 26-year-old is now locked in a tie with former Panthers captain Olli Jokinen for the most goals in franchise history.
"It feels great," Barkov said. "I know [Jokinen] was a legend here. He was a great, great player and played here a long time. I'm really proud that I get to be on that same level with him in that category."
As the period neared its end, the Capitals went on the attack.
Scoring twice within less than two minutes, Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson found the back of the net at 18:11 and 19:43, respectively, to reduce Washington's deficit to 4-3 going into the second intermission.
Tying things up, Connor McMichael then scored just 6:56 into the third period to make it 4-4.
"I think it was a back-and-forth game," Brunette said of the momentum swing. "It was one of those games where you never felt overly comfortable. They put you in uncomfortable positions. They're very structured, come at you in different waves and put pressure on you. It never really felt comfortable. We did some good things, and then some things that we'd like to have back. It was one of those games."
Once the game eventually got to overtime, the Panthers applied tons of pressure on the Capitals -- including a clutch takeaway from Barkov -- to keep them forcibly pinned them in their zone. After holding Washington without a shot in the extra frame, Luostarinen then lit the lamp at 1:55 when his pass to Frank Vatrano was tipped into the net by Tom Wilson to secure the 5-4 win for the Panthers.
On Saturday, the Cats will look to keep rolling when they host the undefeated Hurricanes.
"At the end of the day, it's all about winning games," Barkov said confidently. "You're not going to have your best night every night. We've played some really good hockey at the beginning of the season."
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's overtime win in Sunrise…

1. BARKOV'S GOALS

Opposing goalies have been put on notice… Barkov is heating up!
After scoring three goals during last weekend's back-to-back against Detroit and Boston, the Panthers captain lit the lamp for the third straight games tonight when he beat Samsonov with a quick shot from the slot after some nice work by Duclair to give the Panthers a 1-0 advantage early in the first period.

"He's a pleasure to coach," Brunette said. "I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to coach him. Being with him the last three years, there's no ego. He just wants to get better every day. He puts so much time in to doing that. It's fun to see him get rewarded here the last few games."
Back at it again in the second period, Barkov scored for the second time -- although it would have been the third if not for the fact he had an earlier goal taken off the board for goaltender interference -- when he cashed in on a rebound from the doorstep on the power play to extend Florida's lead to 4-1 at 15:32.

Needing just one more goal to take over sole possession of first place on the franchise's all-time goals list with his 189th tally, Barkov is riding a five-game point streak in which he's notched five goals and two assists. As it stands now, he is tied with Jonathan Huberdeau for the team-scoring lead with 12 points.
"He's got to be the best player in the world," Panthers rookie defenseman Chase Priskie said.

2. EKBLAD'S STACHE

When Ekblad grows a mustache, the goals follow.
Locking, loading and unleashing his patented "Ek-blast" from the point, the defenseman rifled the puck through traffic and into the net to extend Florida's lead to 2-0 near the midway point of the first period.

Powering up every "Movember," he has more career goals (20) in November than in any other month.
Looking no worse for wear in his return from the injury that ended his 2020-21 campaign, Ekblad is currently tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in scoring with 10 points (four goals, seven assists).
A workhorse on the ice, he skated a game-high 27:36 against the Capitals tonight.

3. TOP-SHELF SNIPE

There was something about this goal that just made it easy on the eyes.
Set up on the point, Montour snapped a shot that kept rising as it sailed across the ice before coasting over Samsonov's blocker and into the top of the twine to put the Panthers up 4-1 in the second period.

"He's got some good skills to bring to the table," Brunette said. "They were on display here tonight."
Off to a great start in his first full season in South Florida, Montour, who came over from Buffalo at the trade deadline back in April, has racked up five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 games. Chipping in all over the ice in different ways, he also recorded two hits and two blocked shots against the Capitals.
"I think he's kind of growing into our system and how we play and getting more familiar with our group," Brunette said. "Those trade deadline pickups are always a little tough. You come in and it's kind of chaos. I think he's settling in to how we expect him to play and how we want him to play."

4. LUOSTARINEN WINS IT

When you're in overtime, you don't care if the goal is pretty or not.
Sending a flurry of rubber rats flying toward the ice, Luostarinen locked in tonight's 5-4 win for the Panthers when his attempted pass into the slot was poked into the net not by a teammate, but instead by a Capitals player trying to make a defensive play that instead ended up working out the other way.
"He played a heck of a game," Brunette said. "You can really trust him out there."

Settling into a nice groove early on this season, Luostarinen has now scored three goals over his last four outings, with two of those scores being game-winners. Flourishing in Florida's possession-driven system, he paced the team with a 56.25 CF% at 5-on-5 against Washington, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"He can make plays," Brunette said. "He's a very underrated player for us."

5. HOMETOWN HERO

This was a game that Priskie will never forget.
Growing up in nearby Pembroke Pines, the rookie defenseman made his NHL debut with his hometown Panthers against the Capitals tonight. The first player born in the area to play for the Panthers, he tallied one blocked shot over 10:37 of ice time as more than 30 family and friends cheered him on from a suite.
"What a game," Priskie said excitedly. "That was fun. It had everything in it. After my first couple shifts, I sort of settled into my game. Just happy to chip in and help the team. Glad my first game was a win."

Kicking off the game with a traditional rookie lap, Priskie was also cheered on by his teammates.
"It was a long time coming for him," Barkov said. "He fully deserved to make his NHL debut, especially at his home. I'm really happy and proud of him. He's a great guy. It was fun to watch him play."
To learn more about Priskie's story, check out this morning's preview HERE.