5 Takeaways: Wennberg Nets Hat Trick as Panthers Push Around Lightning

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Panthers aren't going to be pushed around.
In a matchup that featured 154 combined penalty minutes, Alex Wennberg netted his second-career hat trick to lift the Panthers to a 5-1 win over the Lightning at BB&T Center on Saturday.

"The score kind of went up, and sometimes we go back to old-time hockey," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of the overly heated contest. "I thought we did a good job of staying together and doing what we had to do. There was a lot of good in between a lot of that stuff."
With home-ice still on the line for their upcoming playoff series, Wennberg opened the scoring tonight when he capped off a smooth give-and-go sequence with Gustav Forsling by sniping a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy and into the twine to make it a 1-0 game at 11:44 of the first period.
Returning to the lineup after a one-game absence, Sam Bennett then doubled Florida's lead to 2-0 when he finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau by roofing a shot over Vasilevsky on the power play at 3:07 of the second period.
Less than two minutes after Bennett's tally, Luke Schenn finally got the Lightning on the board when he cut down from the blue line into the low slot, took a pass from Yanni Gourde and one-timed a quick shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to cut the Panthers' advantage down to 2-1 at 4:52.
Back at it again later in the period, Wennberg lit the lamp a second time by way of a fortunate bounce. Attempting to find Anthony Duclair in the low slot, his pass from behind the net instead ricocheted off a defender and then floated over Vasilevsky into the cage to make it 3-1 at 12:54.
Joining in on the fun soon after, Huberdeau recorded his fourth straight 20-goal season when his no-look backhanded shot from the slot caught a piece of Vasilevskiy before sliding through the blue paint and across the goal line at 14:53 to give the Panthers a commanding 4-1 lead.
Between the pipes, Vasilevskiy finished with 30 saves, while Bobrovsky made 28.
"[Tampa Bay] had some good looks, and in the second period they had a couple right down the barrel there," Quenneville said. "They scored one like that as well. I thought, for the most part, all game long we were in their zone. I don't think we had the quality or quantity we'd like, but we didn't give up much. We had some good speed, some good possession shifts. We played the right way a lot of the night."
Although there had been some nastiness early on, tempers then boiled over in the third period.
With the action after the whistle taking center stage, the Panthers and Lightning combined for three fighting majors, three roughing penalties and six misconducts over the final 20 minutes.
"It was physical, but we don't mind that," Huberdeau said. "It was an intense game."
Even in the midst of all the chaos, however, Wennberg wouldn't be stopped. And with 6:22 left in regulation, he finished off his second-career hat trick when his shot from the high slot caught a piece of a defender and knuckled right past Vasilevsky to lock in the 5-1 win for the Panthers.
"It was obviously a really tough game," Wennberg said. "We both want to win. There's a good chance here you're rubbing people [wrong], getting some intensity, some fire in it. As you can see, a lot of fights and a lot of energy. The playoffs are coming up. It's a great game to play."
Improving to 36-14-5, the Panthers now hold a two-point lead over the Lightning for second place in the Central Division. If they can pick up just one point in Monday's regular-season finale, they will claim home-ice advantage in the first round of the all-Florida playoff series.
"We're just looking to win the next game," Wennberg said. "Of course you can look at the standings, but the focus is to just play the game and do what we do. We'll see what happens."
Here are five takeaways from Saturday's wild win in Sunrise…

1. THE WENNAISSANCE

If I'd like to trademark the term "Wennaissance," who should I speak to?
Continuing to reach new heights during his first season in South Florida, Wennberg opened the scoring tonight when he finished off a give-and-go with Forsling by ripping a blistering shot into the twine from near the top of the right circle to make it a 1-0 game at 11:44 of the first period.

Having already set a new career-high with his 14th goal of the season, Wennberg then added to that total a bit more in the second period when his attempted pass from behind Tampa Bay's net bounced off a defender and floated straight over Vasilevskiy to give Florida a 3-1 lead at 12:54.

"Very pleased with his effort, his game," Quenneville said of Wennberg. "The production part is kind of the bonus plan with him because he's reliable defensively, always in the right place. On that line, you're comfortable knowing that you're getting offense [and] you're getting defense."
With two goals down and one to go, Wennberg wasn't done there.
Skating straight down the ice into the offensive zone, he let loose a shot that, after hitting a defender, knuckled right into the net to put the Panthers up 5-1 at 13:38 of the third period.

Just over a month removed from recording his first-ever hat trick back on April 3, Wennberg's second, oddly enough, also came while he was wearing Florida's new "Reverse Retro" jersey.
"I left them a request to play with them every night," Wennberg joked about the lucky sweaters.
Bought out by the Blue Jackets in October, Wennberg is a great study in the potential benefits that a change of scenery can provide. After scoring just 15 goals over 198 games during his last three seasons in Columbus, he's already matched that total in only 55 games with the Panthers.
"It's been great from the start," said Wennberg, who has also chipped in 12 assists to go with his goals. "Obviously, this year has been a little crazy. But for me to come in with this new team and get a fresh start with players and coaches, it's been a blast. … I'm excited to be even better."

2. WELCOME BACK, BENNY

Hockey is just more fun when Bennett is on the ice.
Getting back in the lineup after sitting out one game with an upper-body injury, the mustachioed forward doubled Florida's lead to 2-0 tonight when he took a pass from Barkov and lifted a shot into the twine from just inside the left circle on the man advantage at 3:07 of the second period.

"Amazing," Quenneville said of Bennett's play. "His production, with that line together, they look for one another. They had a couple other pretty looks that could have easily gone in. He's been effective in a lot of ways. He brings a nice element to our team. … Good to see him back."
Picking up a goal and an assist in his return, Bennett continues to be a revelation since joining the Panthers at the trade deadline last month. Posting 12 points in 38 games with the Flames prior to the trade, he's already racked up 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 10 games since.

3. HUBERDEAU GETS CLOSER TO 500

If Huberdeau keeps this up, he won't have to wait until next season to hit a major milestone.
After earning an assist on Bennett's goal, Huberdeau then found the back of the cage himself when he sent a no-look backhand shot on net that caught just a piece of Vasilevskiy before bouncing across the goal line to give the Panthers a 4-1 lead at 14:53 of the second period.

"Our team, that's our character," Huberdeau said tonight's win. "Obviously, a little more chippy tonight, but everybody's in the boat. We want to win. That's how we play as a team."
Florida's scoring leader with 61 points, Huberdeau now needs to just pick up two more points in Monday's regular-season finale to reach 500 in his career. Looking at his recent stretch, that's certainly a possibility as he's posted four multi-point performances over his last nine outings.

4. BIG GAME FOR BOB

Not lost in the craziness of tonight's game was strong showing from Bobrovsky in net.
Improving to 19-8-2, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner turned aside 28 of 29 shots that came his way, with a whopping 25 of those saves coming during the first and second periods alone.
"I felt great," Bobrovsky said confidently. "They had the first shift in our zone, so I could get into the game right away. It was good. I had lots of work in the first two periods and then in third period it was kind of quiet. Overall, I think it's a very solid game and a great team win."
As for the physical nature of the play in front of him, Bobrovsky didn't mind that either.
"I love it," Bobrovsky said. "That's the game. That's the game of hockey. That's the best of it. We had a good crowd behind us. It was a great atmosphere. We're going to see those guys a lot."
In three starts against Tampa Bay this season, Bobrovsky boasts a 3-2-0 record.
"I thought he had an excellent game tonight," Quenneville said. "I thought he had real purpose. He was sharp. He was on top of the crease. On the second looks, he was in front of the shot. He had good patience, good anticipation. He tracked the puck well."

5. WISHING RACICOT WELL

As far as final games go for an official, this one was anything but boring.
After spending nearly three decades in the NHL, linesman Pierre Racicot hung up his whistle after tonight's game. Making his debut in black and white back on Oct. 12, 1993, the native of Verdun Quebec, and current resident of Weston, FL. worked more than 1,800 regular-season games during his amazing career.
A behind-the-scenes staple of numerous big games, Racicot also worked 254 playoff games, including 10 appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. He was also a part of a handful of other major events, such as the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and the 2009 NHL All-Star Game.
Midway through the second period of tonight's game, Racicot received a nice video tribute.
"You name the big moments, and he's been a part of them," Quenneville said.