It appears Aleksander Barkov has taken yet another step.
Off to the best start of his career in the face-off circle, the Florida Panthers superstar captain went 16-for-18 (88.9%) in the dot during Tuesday’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Overall, it was the fourth-best game he’s ever had in terms of face-off percentage.
Yet, it also isn’t exactly an outlier when you look at his game log to start 2024-25.
Suiting up in 11 games, Barkov has finished below 50% in the face-off circle just once. In seven of those games, he’s won more than 60% of his draws. His dominant night in the dot on Tuesday also marked the second time in just four games he finished better than 80%.
Able to take the majority of draws from his strong side thanks to playing on a line with a fellow elite defensive forward in Sam Reinhart, Barkov has won 74.6% of his face-offs the last four games, including going 4-for-5 (80%) on key face-offs while on the penalty kill.
After setting a new career-high with a 57.3 face-off win percentage last season, he's currently winning 64.6% of his draws.
“Every year I’m just trying to do my job and be as good as possible defensively, offensively,” Barkov said during last season’s run to the Stanley Cup. “Playing on a good team with good systems and great teammates, that helps a lot. It means a lot. It’s a great thing, for sure.”
Couple his execution in the circle with his 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 11 games – including an active nine-game point streak – and you could argue this is the best version of Barkov that we’ve seen since the former second-overall pick entered the league in 2013.
“He’s been really good,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He was dominant in Finland [at the Global Series].”
Already a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy, Barkov’s uptick in production in the dot has made the NHL’s reigning top-defensive forward an even greater weapon for the Panthers.
With those wins in the circle leading to even more possession time, the Panthers have led 169-114 in shot attempts and 12-6 in goals when Barkov has been deployed at 5-on-5.
Factoring in that his line usually has the toughest matchups, it makes his team-leading 59.72 Corsi for percentage and his 59.01 expected goals for percentage even more impressive.
Helping the Panthers get off to a 12-6-1 start in defense of their Stanley Cup, it will be fascinating to watch just what kind of season Barkov can end up putting together.
His next test will come Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET: ESPN+, Hulu) at United Center.
For information on the official watch party, visit FloridaPanthers.com/CatsOnTap.
