FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
APRIL 5, 2022
FLA Live Arena – Sunrise, Fla.
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS |
| 7 | 6 |
[OVERTIME]
PANTHERS POSTGAME QUOTES
Forward Jonathan Huberdeau
On his and Barkov’s leadership roles on the team:
“We want to play our game… It’s always fun to play with him and obviously we’ve got to take it upon ourselves. I mean, we’re leaders, we’ve got to work hard if the guys are going to follow us. We have a lot of leaders, I think we just have to show the way and we’ll see. We were down 5-1 and we came back. I’m just proud of these guys and we work hard and that’s why we get the two points.”
On reaching 600 career points and continuing to break league and franchise records:
“Yeah, me and Barky I guess are taking a lot of pictures lately. A lot of milestones, obviously it’s pretty cool—with a win, too. It’s just been a fun year and I think it’s going to get more fun. It’s been fun but we haven’t done anything in the playoffs so that’s why we’re excited.”
Forward Aleksander Barkov
On the Home Crowd at FLA Live Arena:
“That helps all season. They really help us to get going. It does not matter the score, they are always there for us. Big thanks to them.”
On Jonathan Huberdeau being a Hart Trophy Finalist:
“If he is not there, he should be there right now. He has been unbelievable; he has been leading this team the whole season and no nights off. Solid every time he shows up and does his thing. It is incredible how good he is and how he does those things.”
Forward Claude Giroux
On tonight’s comeback victory:
“…When we’re on, we can do a lot of damage. As exciting as it is to win games like this, we need to find ways to win games that are not as exciting.”
On scoring his first goal in a Panthers sweater:
“It is nice to be able to get a goal and help the team comeback like we did tonight.”
On Jonathan Huberdeau’s play:
“Every night he brings it. He plays the right way, he makes a lot of plays. He makes everyone around him better. He is feeling it right now and we are just trying to follow him.”
Interim Head Coach Andrew Brunette
On tonight’s comeback win:
“It’s a little worrisome as much as impressive. We know we can score goals but some of the things we were doing to fall behind and not being prepared for what was coming. A lot of resolve, a lot of grit in this group.”
On Claude Giroux’s first goal as a Panther:
“A big goal, I thought he really played well there through that stretch halfway through the second and through the third. Their line really got us going there in a lot of different ways. Didn’t get totally rewarded for it but they were going.”
CATS STATS
- The Panthers earned their sixth consecutive home win (and fifth consecutive overall win) for their league-leading and franchise-record 29th win at FLA Live Arena this season. With the win, Florida has earned 104 points in 2021-22, surpassing the prior franchise single-season record of 103 from 2015-15.
- Florida’s 58 points (29-6-0) at home this season ties the club single-season record of 58 from 1999-00.
- The Cats overcame a 5-1 second period deficit to win in overtime, marking their second four-goal comeback victory in the past four days (7-6 W [OT] at NJD on April 2).
- The Panthers are the only team in NHL history to record multiple four goal comebacks in multiple seasons. Only the 1983-84 Oilers have done so in one season. The Cats also recorded multiple four-goal comebacks in 2019-20 (Nov. 12 at BOS, Nov. 21 vs. ANA).
- The comeback victory is Florida’s fifth win this season when trailing at any point by at least three goals, the most by any team in one season in NHL history.
- Florida’s win marked their 10th overtime win of the season, tied with DAL for the league lead. Their 10 OT-GWGs matches the club record achieved last season (10 in 2020-21).
- Jonathan Huberdeau matched his career high with five points (2-3-5), including his fourth career overtime goal. He has recorded five points in a game three times in 2021-22; no other NHL skater has done so more than once this season.
- Huberdeau’s third point, an a power-play goal marking his 25th tally of the season, represented his 100th point of the campaign. He is the first Panthers skater to reach the mark in club history, and he became the first Quebec-born player to record a 100-point season since Vincent Lecavalier (108) and Martin St. Louis (102) both reached the mark in 2006-07.
- Huberdeau’s overtime goal marked his 600th NHL point. He is the first Panthers skater to reach the mark and the first player from the 2011 draft to amass 600 points.
- Aleksander Barkov logged a season-high four points (1-3-4). He has produced a point in his past five games (6-6-12), his sixth point streak of at least five games in 2021-22. He has produced multiple points in each of his past five contests; only Huberdeau (6GP in 2018-19) and Pavel Bure (7GP in 2000-01) have recorded longer multi-point streaks in club history.
- Sam Reinhart produced three points (2-1-3), his sixth game this season with at least three points. Both of Reinhart’s tallies came on the power-play, the second time this season he has registered two PPGs in one game.
- Claude Giroux scored his first goal as a Panther and added an assist (1-1-2), his fourth multi-point game since joining the Panthers. He has amassed nine points (1-8-9) over his first eight games with the Cats.
- MacKenzie Weegar notched two assists and led Florida with 24:52 TOI.
- Radko Gudas scored his first career shorthanded goal and led FLA with eight hits, his 10th game this season with at least eight hits.
- Sam Bennett recorded an assist on Claude Giroux’s goal, marking his 100th NHL assist.
- Gudas’ shorthanded goal marked Florida’s 11th SHG of the season, tied with the 1995-96 Panthers for the second-most in franchise history (12, 1997-98). Only TOR (13) have more in 2021-22.
- Huberdeau’s performance marked the fifth five-point+ outing by a Panthers skater this season (Huberdeau 3x, Marchment, Lundell). There have been only 21 five-point+ performances in the NHL this season, and the next-closest teams are CGY and TOR (two each).
- Florida scored five unanswered goals for the 10th time this season, the most of any NHL team.
- The Panthers scored at least seven goals in a game for the eighth time this season.
- Florida out-shot Toronto 49-35, marking the eighth time in the past nine games the Cats have logged at least 40 shots.
- The Cats matched their season high with three power-play goals.
- The Panthers out-hit the Maple Leafs 38-28.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next up for the Cats — The Panthers are OFF tomorrow, April 6. The Panthers are next scheduled to hold an 11 A.M. practice on Thursday, April 7 at FLA Live Arena.
