FORT LAUDERDALE – Are you having fun?
The Florida Panthers sure are.
Winners of seven straight after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena, the surging Panthers sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 11-3-1 record.
League wide, only the Winnipeg Jets (14-1-0) have won more games.
“Hockey is fun,” captain Aleksander Barkov said after Monday’s practice at Baptist Health IcePlex. “We have a really good group here that’s a fun group to be a part of. It's a lot of fun to come to the rink every single day.”
Having fun, the Panthers have seen point production from all skaters that have played in at least two games during the win streak.
Florida also has eight skaters that have found the back of net at least twice, with Sam Reinhart leading the way with six goals.
Looking to continue the on-ice enjoyment, the Panthers will take on the New Jersey Devils (10-6-2) in Sunrise on Tuesday and Thursday.
To buy tickets, click HERE.
BARKOV & MIKKOLA POINT STREAKS
The return home to Finland might’ve have given them a little extra boost.
Heading into Tuesday’s duel with the Devils, Aleksander Barkov (five games) and Niko Mikkola (four games) have both been building up point streaks during the winning streak.
Since his return from injury against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 28, Barkov has logged 11 points (two goals, nine assists), is snapping back 54.7% of his draws, and has a +8 plus/minus rating.
On the blueline, with an assist in the win over the Flyers, Mikkola has now assisted in four straight games, the longest streak of his career.
Within those four games, the 6-foot-6 defenseman also has compiled four hits, four blocked shots, and nine shots on goal.
“We have good forwards,” Mikkola said of his uptick in production. “Give them the puck and they do the rest. It’s nice to get a couple apples.”
DEFENSE BRINGING OFFENSE
Four forward lines that can produce?
Dangerous.
Four forward lines and three defensive pairing that can?
Now you’re cooking with gas.
Over the last seven games, the Panthers have seen contributions from everyone on the backend.
Leading the way, Mikkola has dished out six assists, while Gustav Forsling has notched four points (one goal, three assists), Uvis Balinskis and Aaron Ekblad each have tallied three assists, and Dmitry Kulikov and Nate Schmidt each have scored a goal to go along with a pair of assists.
“We've got some guys back there that can shoot the puck and can move,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “I think when you're talking about defense all the time, it's just good for your defense to score goals and feel good about themselves. It takes some pressure off them and then their game usually gets better.”
MONDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich/Mackie Samoskevich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis
Adam Boqvist
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
