5 Takeaways: Weegar, Barkov Lift Panthers to OT Win over Hurricanes

SUNRISE, Fla. -They're all worth two points, but some games are bigger than others.
This was one of those games.
Despite coming up just short in six of the previous seven games in their season series, the Panthers essentially wiped the slate clean when Aleksander Barkov scored 24 seconds into overtime to lock in a massive 4-3 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday night at BB&T Center.

"We were battling with this challenge all year, trying find ways to stick with it and win the games," Barkov said. "We never gave up. Even in those games when we didn't come up with points, we didn't give up. Finally, we got the result. Obviously, this is only the regular season. If you want to go all the way, there's going to be games like this. This was good practice for that."
No strangers to big comebacks, the Panthers shook off some early adversity once again tonight.
Opening the scoring for the Hurricanes, Dougie Hamilton let loose a shot from the point that flew through some very heavy traffic and past Chris Driedger to make it 1-0 at 3:25 of the first period.
With time winding down in the period, Jonathan Huberdeau, who received the puck after Sam Bennett forced a turnover behind Carolina's net, then sent a pass to MacKenzie Weegar, who blasted a one-timer past Alex Nedeljkovic to pull the Panthers even and make it 1-1 at 19:35.
Finding the back of the net again early in the second period, Hamilton then put the Hurricanes back on top when he buried a one-timer from just beyond the right circle to make it 2-1 at 1:35.
Coming out hot again to start the third period, Carolina then extended its lead to 3-1 when a shot from Brett Pesce bounced right off Andrei Svechnikov's skate and into the cage at 3:01.
Then, with their backs against the wall, something clearly clicked with the Panthers.
Ramping up the intensity, Gustav Forsling quickly made it a one-goal game when he took a cross-ice pass from Huberdeau and beat Nedeljkovic to make it a 3-2 game at 4:48. Soon after, Alex Wennberg scored a shorthanded goal from on the doorstep to tie the game 3-3 at 6:20.
Over the final 20 minutes of regulation, Florida owned a 13-6 advantage in shots on goal.
"They got a little bit of a lucky bounce there, which was kind of unfortunate," Weegar said. "But then we just stuck our nose down. I think that shorthanded goal gave us a lot of momentum."
Carrying that momentum into overtime, the Panthers wasted no time in netting the winner. After Weegar shut down the Hurricanes attack with a hip-check in the defensive zone, Barkov carried the puck up ice and snuck a no-look shot through Nedeljkovic's pads to lock in the 4-3 victory.
Improving to 13-5-3, Driedger finished with 16 saves, while Nedeljkovic made 32 of his own.
With their season series now in the books, the Panthers (31-13-5) currently trail the Hurricanes (31-10-6) by just one point for first place in the Central Division. But regardless of how that race turns out, tonight's win has filled the Cats with renewed confidence heading into the postseason.
"That's a top team in our league," Weegar said of the Hurricanes. "They've had our number all year and I just didn't want to lose. I didn't want to lose to that team. I wanted to make a statement. If we see them in the playoffs, I want them to know that we can beat you."
Here are five takeaways from Saturday's win in Sunrise…

1. WEEGAR'S SPECIAL GAME

Weegar's big game started with a clutch goal.
After Bennett forced a turnover behind Carolina's net, Huberdeau took the puck and threaded it through a pair of defenders right into the right circle and onto the stick of Weegar, who then fired a booming one-timer into the twine to make it a 1-1 game with 25 seconds left in the first period.

From there, Weegar went on to assist on all three of Florida's next goals.
"I thought Weegs was special tonight," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "He did a lot of good things, whether he was up in the play, making the right plays, scoring goals, at the net, defending well, going into the puck areas. I think he's had a very strong year."
Taking on even more responsibility following an injury to Aaron Ekblad, Weegar continues to pile up the points while also playing sound defense in all three zones. In the midst of the best season of his career, he's already tallied a career-high 29 points on four goals and 25 assists.
In addition to his points tonight, Weegar also had seven hits, seven blocks and four takeaways.

2. STREAKING CATS

With the primary assist on Weegar's goal, Huberdeau cracked the scoresheet once again.
Extending his point streak to a season-long seven games, the 27-year-old forward has notched two goals and eight assists in that span. On the back of his streak, Huberdeau has also upped his team-leading point total to 52, which places him tied for 12th among NHL forwards in scoring.
Not on a point streak but still in the midst of a nice run, Bennett has also been a force in the offensive zone since joining the Panthers at the trade deadline. Suiting up in five games since coming over from the Flames, the 24-year-old has registered three goals and three assists.
"He had one of those games where he was special tonight," Quenneville said of Bennett.
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, when Huberdeau and Bennett were on the ice together against the Hurricanes tonight, the Panthers owned more than 80% of the shot attempts.

3. FORSLING FINDS TWINE

The "Gus Bus" was cruising all around the ice tonight.
Sliding down from the blue line and into the center of the left circle, Forsling took a slick no-look, cross-ice pass from Huberdeau and fired a quick shot that snuck under Nedeljkovic's pads and into the back of the netting to shrink Florida's deficit down to just 3-2 at 4:48 of the third period.

"I felt like we got some momentum there [with Forsling's goal], and then we just took over in the third period," Wennberg said. "We didn't play that good the whole game, but all that matters is the win, and we got it tonight."
Moving up to the top-defensive pairing following Ekblad's injury last month, Forsling has done an excellent job helping to fill that void alongside Weegar. In addition to netting his career-high fourth goal of the season tonight, he's also registered three points over his last seven games.
"He's been playing great," Weegar said of Forsling. "He's been consistent since he's gotten more playing time, and he's just kind of taken off. … He's finding those holes, jumping up in the rush. He's got a great stick, great gap. It's nice to see him getting a lot of credit. He deserves it."

4. WENNBERG'S SHORTY

Like they always say, go to the net and good things will happen.
With the Panthers trailing 3-2 and on the penalty kill, Wennberg crashed the paint and jammed home a rebound following a shot from Weegar to make it a 3-3 game at 6:20 of the third period.

"We were talking about being a little more aggressive, skating more," Wennberg said of his timely goal. "We got to the net and got rewarded. It's just building up momentum right there."
Now up to 12 goals on the season, Wennberg only needs on more to match the career-high 13 he scored during his 2016-17 campaign with Columbus. Chipping in on offense quite a bit down the home stretch, the 26-year-old center has accumulated three points over his last six games.
A shorthanded specialist, Wennberg skated a team-high 4:13 on the penalty kill tonight.

5. NO LOOKING

Only a few teams in the NHL have the luxury of having a superstar like Barkov.
With the game on the line and the puck on his stick, the Panthers captain turned his head to the left and snuck a no-look shot past Nedeljkovic to lock in a 4-3 win just 24 seconds into overtime.

"He's been doing that all year," Quenneville said of Barkov's ridiculous moves. "I think Barky's had a tremendous year, whether it's controlling shifts or dominating possession. He's had some different linemates over the last three weeks, and he still finds ways to be productive."
Leading the Panthers with 22 goals and also ranking second on the team in scoring with 49 points, Barkov has been giving opposing goaltenders nightmares in recent weeks. Over his last 18 games -- including an active three-game goal streak -- he's lit the lamp a stunning 14 times.
"He's been scoring big goals," Quenneville said. "He's competitive and does all the things that you're looking for."

BONUS: HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER

Before the puck dropped, Molly Oldham brought down the house.
As part of the organization's "Hockey Fights Cancer" night, Oldham, a two-time cancer survivor, kicked things off with a moving rendition of the national anthem prior to puck drop. Just a week removed from her final chemotherapy treatment, fans cheered her on with every inspiring note.

In addition to having Oldham sing tonight's anthem, the Florida Panthers Foundation awarded Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which serves as the official sponsor of "Hockey Fights Cancer" night, a $25,000 donation to support their crucial cancer research in the South Florida.
During warmups, the Panthers also sported special purple "Hockey Fights Cancer" jerseys, which are now available for purchase at
FLATeamShop.com
. Both players and fans alike also filled out "I Fight For" cards to show their support for loved ones affected by the terrible disease.