NOTEBOOK: A Historic Period; Driedger to Start

In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, the Panthers learned a lot from a big period against the Stars, Chris Driedger has been tapped to start again, and Markus Nutivaara is on the mend.
SUNRISE, Fla. - The Panthers know they aren't going to fire off 29 shots on goal every period.
That being said, Patric Hornqvist believes there were more than a few lessons learned during the team's dominant middle frame in Monday night's 3-1 victory over the Stars at BB&T Center.

"Close support and taking pucks to the net," Hornqvist said when asked about the keys to the period after Tuesday's practice. "When you get those pucks to the net, they break out coverage the best. You just want to keep being close and making small plays. There's no standing still out there. You've got to always be moving - move to the puck, move before you get the puck."
While it was clear just how much the ice was tilted during the second period against the Stars, the numbers somehow still seem unbelievable. Keeping Anton Khudobin under duress for the entire 20 minutes, the Panthers posted big advantages in shots (29-4) and shot attempts (42-5).
Looking even closer, they also succeeded in doing exactly what Hornqvist said - carrying pucks into the juiciest areas of the offensive zone. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Florida led by a huge margin in both high-danger shot attempts (9-0) and scoring chances (19-1) in the period.
Finally solving Khudobin, it was goals from Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle that turned the tide.
"It was fun to watch," coach Joel Quenneville said. "The guys really had a lot of energy and great speed. With our exits and our transition game, the changes almost looked like we had an odd-man rush coming. We just kept doing it. I liked the rotation. I liked the speed of our game."
Trailing 1-0 after the first period, Hornqvist said the Panthers basically went back to the drawing board after being unable to get off a single high-danger shot attempt in the opening 20 minutes.
"After the first period we were talking about getting back to skating, working and supporting each other," Hornqvist said. "That's exactly what we were doing there in the second and third period. We really took over the game. We were skating. We were a five-man unit all over the ice. We had close support. Against good teams, you have to do those things. A big win for us."
The win was not only big, but also historic.
Setting a new franchise record for shots on goal in a period with 29, the Panthers also finished the game with 50-plus shots for just the 13th time in franchise history. Additionally, their 52 shots on goal were just three fewer than the club's all-time record of 55, which they've achieved twice.
Continuing their homestand with a rematch against the Stars at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Panthers, who currently own the top spot in the Central Division at 12-3-2, will look to take what they learned in Game 1 of the three-game set and try to bring the same effort again tomorrow.
"If we can keep doing the same thing, I'm pretty sure we can get more goals," Hornqvist said.

DRIEDGER GOES AGAIN

Shifting the conversation from scoring goals to stopping them, Quenneville announced that Chris Driedger will make his second consecutive start in net for the Panthers on Wednesday.
Extending his personal winning streak to four games, the 26-year-old goaltender turned aside 24 of 25 shots in Monday's win. In nine appearances this season, he owns a 7-1-1 record with a 2.20 goals-against average and .929 save percentage, which ranks among the best in the NHL.
"He made a couple big saves after the first goal," Quenneville said after Monday's win. "I thought he settled down a little bit. In the third there he still found a way to battle and kept his composure in tight situations. He does what he has to do. I like the way he keeps moving on."
With Driedger starting the first half of the back-to-back with Dallas on Wednesday, Quenneville said that it's "very likely" that Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod for the second half on Thursday.
In eight games this season, Bobrovsky has posted a 5-2-1 record.

NUTIVAARA HEALING UP

Markus Nutivaara is getting closer to making his return.
Working his way back from an upper-body injury, the 26-year-old defenseman last took the ice during a 6-1 loss to the Lightning on Feb. 13. In the midst of his first season with the Panthers, he's played in seven games, recording three assists while skating an average of 16:14 per tilt.
"We'll see," Quenneville said. "He's getting close. He's getting real close to getting on the ice."
With Nutivaara on the mend, the Panthers called up Riley Stillman from the AHL on Monday.
Set to join the team's taxi squad upon his arrival, Stillman competed in one game with Florida -- logging five hits and two blocked shots during a 5-4 overtime win over the Blackhawks on Jan. 19 - before being sent down to Syracuse to get more consistent playing time late last month.
Earning top-pairing minutes with the Crunch, the 22-year-old rearguard tallied three assists, seven shots on goal and a +3 rating over the five games he played in before being recalled.
"It's been going great," Stillman told FloridaPanthers.com when asked about his time in the AHL last week. "Coming down I was excited to play some big minutes in some different situations. It's been really good. It's been important for my development. I've really enjoyed it."
A fourth-round pick (114th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Stillman has appeared in 36 games with the Panthers over parts of the last three seasons, registering five assists and 69 hits.

TUESDAY'S PRACTICE LINES

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Brett Connolly
Ryan Lomberg - Juho Lammikko - Vinnie Hinostroza
Mason Marchment - Owen Tippett
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle - Anton Stralman
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Kevin Connauton - Noah Juulsen
Goalies
Chris Driedger
Sergei Bobrovsky
Philippe Desrosiers