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      12/14/21 Post Game Interviews

      SUNRISE, Fla. - There's always a handful of games like this each season.
      But even with that knowledge, the end result isn't any easier to stomach.
      One of the few blemishes in what has otherwise been a spectacular start to the season, the Panthers surrendered six unanswered goals in an eventual 8-2 loss to the Senators at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.

      "We're going to face adversity as a team," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "It's about coming back to work tomorrow and finding a way. We know we're a good team, and we're going to find a way."
      Still sitting at 18-6-4 despite the lopsided loss, the Panthers aren't the first team to fall victim to the Senators in recent weeks. Winning five of their last six games to improve to 9-16-1, Ottawa has already taken down the Lightning, Avalanche, Devils and Hurricanes since the calendar flipped to December.
      "Right now it leaves a tough taste in our mouth, but it's how we respond," Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. "A loss is a loss. We'll come back, regroup tomorrow and get ready for Thursday."
      Firing on all cylinders right out of the gate, the Senators took an early lead when Austin Watson whacked a rebound past Spencer Knight to make it a 1-0 game just 4:38 into the opening period.
      Pushing right back, Jonathan Huberdeau then answered for the Panthers when he crashed the net and chipped a nice centering feed from Reinhart right over Anton Forsberg's blocker to make it 1-1 at 13:05.
      On the power play to start the second period, the Panthers fell behind once again when, following an unfortunate turnover, Dylan Gambrell buried a shorthanded breakaway to put Ottawa up 2-1 at 1:30.
      Evening things up a bit later, Reinhart followed up on a shot from Anton Lundell and banged home the ensuing rebound to make it a 2-2 game at 15:33. But less than a minute later, Josh Norris found the back of the net -- although the call was initially delayed a bit -- to send the Senators back ahead 3-2 at 16:12.
      Just 1:14 after that, Tim Stützle scored to extend Ottawa's lead to 4-2.
      "They found a way to gain momentum," Ekblad said. "We just didn't get it back the rest of the game."
      Keeping their foot on the gas, Norris tallied his second goal of the night when he tapped in a pass from Drake Batherson from on the doorstep to put the Senators up 5-2 just 23 seconds into the third period.
      "Unfortunately we have those catastrophic kind of little stretches and then the next thing you know it's 4-2," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "We felt we were in a good position going into the third. We felt fine for the most part of the game. Then we start the period off, and they make it 5-2."
      Piling on the goals later in the period, Drake Batherson scored to make it 6-2. After that, Nick Paul potted a pair of goals on the power play at 14:23 and 14:57, respectively, to lock down the 8-2 final.
      Eager to move on from this loss, the Panthers will look to rebound against the Kings on Thursday.
      "I think you've got to wipe the slate clean and learn from some of the things we did," Brunette said when asked about pushing forward. "We were a little undisciplined at times in our whole game. I think we got frustrated. I don't think we had the energy level we have on most nights, but I thought we dug."
      Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's loss in Sunrise…

      1. HUBERDEAU CHIPS ONE

      It seems No. 11 can't go more than a game without getting at least a point these days.
      Moving into a tie with Aleksander Barkov for the most goals on the team, Huberdeau netted his 10th goal of the season to get the Panthers on the board and make it a 1-1 game in the first period tonight.

      Finding his way onto the scoresheet in six of the last seven games, Huberdeau has registered 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in that span to increase his team-leading point total to 32 (10 goals, 22 assists).

      2. REINHART SCORES AGAIN

      Get out of Reino's way!
      Touching twine for the fifth time in his last seven games, Reinhart briefly pulled the Panthers back into a tie when he cashed in on rebound after a shot from Lundell to make it a 2-2 game in the second period.

      Finishing with a goal and an assist, Reinhart is now tied for third in points (22) and tied for second in goals (9) on the Panthers. Producing at better than a point-per-game pace since around late November, he's now notched 11 points over his last nine games while leading the team with six goals in that span.

      3. POWER PLAY STRUGGLES

      The power play is one area of their game that the Panthers have wanted to improve all season.
      Entering the night tied for 16th in the NHL with an 18.8% success rate, they went 0-for-6 on the man advantage against the Senators, while also giving up their fourth shorthanded goal of the campaign.
      Over those six power plays, Florida fired off nine shots on goal.
      "It hasn't really flowed," Brunette said. "We're kind of getting stuck a little bit. On nights like tonight where we're not particularly sharp, it looks even worse. It's a concern. We've kind of moved things around and we're missing some guys personnel-wise. It needs to be better, and it will be better."
      Taking solace in the fact that they're one of the top 5-on-5 scoring teams in the league, Ekblad said the Panthers know they have all the tools to be better with the extra attacker if they just keep working at it.
      "It doesn't feel good, for sure," Ekblad said when asked about losing the special teams battle. "We've got to find a way to find confidence and play well with the puck. We know we can do it 5-on-5. I don't know what it is. Personally, I think I can be a lot better on the power play, and I'll leave it at that."

      4. DUCLAIR RETURNS

      Duclair looked no worse for wear in his first game back.
      Returning to the lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury, the speedy forward looked as explosive as ever while using his legs to create several scoring chances with sharp drives to the net. Skating 14:06 against Ottawa, he registered three shots on goal and one blocked shot.
      "It's awesome just to be around the boys skating again and feeling good on the ice," Duclair said after this morning's skate. "I'm really excited to be back, for sure."
      Florida's most-effective trio against the Senators, the line of Duclair, Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe did a great job of controlling play in all three zones tonight. During the 7:28 of ice time they spent together at 5-on-5, the Cats led 13-5 in shot attempts and 7-3 in scoring chances, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

      5. HEPONIEMI RECALLED

      With Ryan Lomberg in COVID protocol, Aleksi Heponiemi got the call.
      Coming up from the AHL for the second time in about three weeks, the 22-year-old forward appeared in his first game of the season with the Panthers tonight. Slotting right into Lomberg's spot on the left side of the fourth line, he posted two shots on goal over 13:56 of ice time, including 1:26 on the penalty kill.
      Prior to his recall, Heponiemi had notched 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 21 games in the AHL.
      Making his NHL debut last season, he tallied one goal and one assist in nine games with Florida in 2020-21.