Setting the pace on Saturday, Wennberg potted a pair of goals in a span of 3:58 during the second period to give Florida a commanding 3-0 lead over Columbus. Then, with just seven seconds left in regulation, he cashed in on an empty net to lock in his hat trick and a 5-2 win.
Scoring in each of his last two outings, Wennberg also played the role of hero on Thursday when he picked a corner in overtime to send the Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Red Wings.
"Right now, it's kind of working my way a little bit," said Wennberg, whose 11 goals this season are just two fewer than his career-high. "I'm just going to try and ride the wave a little bit, just keep doing the same thing and hopefully I can get some more [goals] next game as well."
With Wennberg heating up, the Panthers also received a noticeable boost with the return of Aleksander Barkov and Patric Hornqvist against the Blue Jackets. After they each missed a handful of contests due to injury, the duo looked no worse for wear in their first game back.
In addition to winning 56% of his faceoffs, Barkov recorded the primary assist on MacKenzie Weegar's opening goal in the second period that put Florida on top 1-0. Hornqvist, meanwhile, fired off five shots and recorded the secondary helper on Wennberg's first goal of the game.
Two critical pieces of Florida's top-six, the return of Barkov and Hornqvist should give the team a massive boost as the home stretch approaches. Even though they missed time, Barkov still ranks second on the team in scoring with 38 points, while Hornqvist is fourth in goals with 12.
"They're such good players, so to get them back in the lineup was really good," Wennberg said. "With them coming back, I feel like they played really big games. They've been away for a little bit, but they stepped right in and made a difference."
With no skate scheduled for this morning and Panthers coach Joel Quenneville not expected to provide updates to the media until 3 p.m. ET, we won't know of any changes to the lineup until then. That being said, I think it's safe for us to take a stab at who might be manning the crease.
Given that Sergei Bobrovsky made 44 saves to earn his 15th win of the season on Saturday, it's possible that Chris Driedger gets the call for the second half of the back-to-back tonight. Owning a 10-4-2 record, the 26-year-old has gone 2-1-0 with a stellar .935 save percentage over his last three starts. Facing Columbus on Jan. 28, he stopped 29 of 31 shots during a 3-2 shootout loss.
In the midst of one of their best seasons in franchise history, the Panthers boast an impressive 25-9-4 record and are currently tied with the cross-state rival Lightning for the most points in the Central Division. Chasing history as the wins continue to pile up, the only time Florida reached 25 victories faster was during the team's improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1995-96.
"We did face a little adversity even though I still didn't mind how we were playing in those games," said Quenneville, referencing the team's brief three-game skid that preceded their current winning streak. "Every single game finding a way to be competitive and getting points."
Fighting to remain in the playoff picture, the Blue Jackets have dropped six of their last seven games and watched their record dip down to 14-17-8. During that difficult seven-game stretch, they've struggled at both ends of the ice while being outscored by a lopsided 23-12 margin. In Saturday's loss to the Panthers, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Zach Werenski each scored.
In net, Elvis Merzlikins surrendered three goals on 25 shots before being pulled from the game to start the third period. In the crease for the final 20 minutes, Joonas Korpisalo stopped 12 of 13 shots.
Leading the team in points (31) and goals (14), Bjorkstrand has racked up eight goals in his last 15 games. In five games against Florida, he's recorded six points, including scoring four times.
Yet to announce a starting goaltender, it wouldn't be a surprise if Columbus rolled with Korpisalo in this rematch. Owning an 8-10-6 record with a .899 save percentage, the 26-year-old netminder has gone 1-2-2 behind a .917 save percentage over his last six appearances.
In five games against the Blue Jackets this season, the Panthers have gone 4-0-1.
Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers and @JamesonCoop on Twitter for pre-game information.