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      11/16/21 Post Game Interviews

      SUNRISE, Fla. - Snapping out of their four-game losing streak in a very convincing fashion, the Panthers scored early and often in a 6-1 win over the Islanders at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.
      Improving to 11-2-3 on the season, Florida is now also a perfect 8-0-0 at home.

      "We felt good on home ice," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of the team's effort. "We wanted to dictate right from the start. We didn't want to ease our way into our game."
      And dictate they did.
      Starting a game together for the first time this season, the Panthers got some early production from their new-look top line when Anthony Duclair took a pass from Aleksander Barkov before setting up Jonathan Huberdeau for a goal from in front to make it 1-0 at 6:58 of the first period.
      Prior to tonight's game, that trio had spent just over 10 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season.
      Cruising out of the garage to double the lead later in the period, Ryan Lomberg, known better around South Florida as "Lomberghini," crashed the net and lifted the puck past Ilya Sorokin to make it 2-0 at 14:40. Less than two minutes later, Carter Verhaeghe then made it 3-0 when he jumped on a loose puck right around the crease and swept it past a befuddled Sorokin at 16:04.
      "Don't miss the net," Verhaeghe chuckled when asked about tapping in the rubber.

      Putting an exclamation point on an explosive opening period for the Panthers, Patric Hornqvist then upped the lead to 4-0 when he skated along the goal line before sniping the puck through the smallest of holes between Sorokin's mask and the post to send the red light flashing again.
      Although he would finish out the period, Semyon Varlamov replaced Sorokin to start the second.
      "We knew that was a desperate team coming in at the end of a 13-game road trip," Brunette said of the Islanders, who saw their record fall to 5-6-2 as their losing streak reached four games. "They lost the night before and wanted to get a win to head back with. We knew they'd be desperate early. They're a good first-period team. I thought we took control of the game."
      Unfortunately, the Cats didn't escape the evening unscathed.
      Less than two minutes into the second period, Barkov exited the game after absorbing a knee-on-knee hit from Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, who was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for the incident. Unable to get to his feet for several minutes after the play, the Panthers captain and leading scorer was eventually helped to the locker room by a trainer.
      While Verhaeghe said he was encouraged to see Barkov walking around the locker room after the game, Brunette made it clear that no updates will be available on his status until tomorrow.
      "It's a test," Brunette said of overcoming the injury. "We've had a lot of tests this year, and this is another one. You hate to lose Barky. He means so much to this franchise. Hopefully he's OK. For the rest of the group, we've been pulling each other up all year. We'll just keep doing it."
      That's also exactly what they did tonight.
      Pressing forward despite losing one of their stars, the Panthers continued to pile it on against the Islanders when Aaron Ekblad collected a cross-ice pass from MacKenzie Weegar and fired a rocket of a shot from around the center of the right circle into the net to make it 5-0 at 13:41.
      Getting one back for the Islanders and spoiling a shutout bid for Sergei Bobrovsky, who had another great showing with 27 saves on 28 shots, Kyle Palmieri found the back of the net not long after Ekblad's goal to cut Florida's lead to 5-1 at the 15-minute mark of the middle frame.
      Putting a bow on the win, Frank Vatrano then scored with 3:24 left in regulation to make it 6-1.

      "We controlled the whole game," Hornqvist said. "We came out with good legs and good decisions with the puck and just kept rolling. It was a great win for our club, for sure."
      Not only a great win, but also the 900th regular-season victory in the history of the franchise.
      On Thursday, the Panthers will look to increase that number to 901 when they host the Devils.
      Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's win in Sunrise…

      1. CLAWS OUT

      The Panthers had their claws out from the moment the puck dropped.
      Starting with Huberdeau's goal less than seven minutes into the game, they would go on to light the lamp three more times before the first intermission. Taking the wind out of New York's sails, that impressive four-goal outburst matched their largest output in a period so far this campaign.

      "I really liked our compete," Brunette said. "I've liked it the whole time. They compete really hard as a group. They're fun to be around because they're non-stop. They're compete, compete, compete."
      As for Huberdeau's clutch ice breaker, the dynamic winger has now registered at least one point in 12 of 16 games this season. Ranking second on the team in scoring, he's compiled 15 points (five goals, 10 assists), with a team-leading five of those points coming on the man advantage.
      Not just an offensive dynamo, he also blocked a game-high four shots tonight.

      2. LOMBY SCORES

      You could feel this goal coming long before it happened.
      Oozing energy from the moment he hopped over the boards, Lomberg scored for the first time this season when he pounced on a rebound to the right of the cage and ripped it right past Sorokin, who made the initial save on Hornqvist, to make it a 2-0 game in the first period.
      "I love watching Lomby score," Brunette said. "It kind of makes my day. It was a huge goal."

      Relentless on the forecheck all night long against the Islanders, the line of Lomberg, Hornqvist and Eetu Luostarinen earned plenty of kudos from Brunette after the game. When they were on the ice at 5-on-5, the Cats led 5-3 in shots on goal and 2-0 in goals, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
      "Their line had some big shifts for us," Brunette said. "They were doing the right things. They did the same thing in Tampa, and they got rewarded tonight. … That line has played exceptionally well for us the last two games."

      3. PILING IT ON

      It only took 2:09 for the Panthers to turn a nice lead into a commanding one.
      Up 2-0 late in the first period, Verhaeghe first made it a 3-0 game when he cashed in on a tantalizing loose puck around the net at 16:04. Right after that, Hornqvist then quickly increased that advantage to 4-0 when he picked a corner from the goal line and beat Sorokin at 18:13.

      "In the first period, we were really good," Verhaeghe said. "We were making plays, shooting pucks and getting to the net. That's what we want to do when we come out, and we did that."
      For Verhaeghe, who is fourth on the team with 13 points, the goal was his fourth of the season.
      "I really liked his game," Brunette said of the versatile winger. "I've liked his game all year."
      As for Hornqvist, he's now amassed six points (two goals, four assists) in his last seven games.

      4. EKBLAD ADDS ONE

      Even after going up 4-0, the Panthers kept their foot on the gas.
      After calling for a pass from the point, Ekblad darted toward the center of the right circle, settled down a feed from Weegar and then blasted home a hefty shot to make it 5-0 in the middle frame.

      "We believe in what we're doing out there," Hornqvist said. "We can see that when we get pucks under the goal line, get pucks deep and create our cycles, it's hard to stop us that way."
      Leading Florida's defensemen in scoring with 12 points, Ekblad also ranks second among all NHL blueliners in goals with five. Doing a bit of everything during tonight's win, he also tallied four shots on goal, one hit, one block and one takeaway over 21:54 of ice time.

      5. UNBELIEVA-BOB

      It's sometimes easy to forget about goaltending when your team scores six goals.
      But with another outstanding start from Bobrovsky in the books, that's not the case here.
      In addition to turning aside 27 of 28 shots against the Islanders, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner also went a perfect 8-for-8 on high-danger shots, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
      "He's been unbelievable," Verhaeghe said. "He keeps us in games and makes huge saves."
      Backstopping the Panthers to points in each of his starts so far this season, Bobrovsky owns a strong 7-0-2 record with a 1.78 goals-against average and .942 save percentage. Incredibly consistent in the crease, he's allowed more than two goals in just two of his 10 appearances.
      "He's been one of the best goalies in the league," Verhaeghe said.

      BONUS: THE GUDAS GIF

      When the Islanders tried to ruffle some feathers, Radko Gudas got the last laugh.
      Check out the GIF in the tweet below and I guarantee you'll crack a smile of your own.