FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. DALLAS STARS
JANUARY 14, 2022
FLA Live Arena – Sunrise, Fla.
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | DALLAS STARS |
| 7 | 1 |
PANTHERS POSTGAME QUOTES
Forward Carter Verhaeghe
On how much fun the team is having:
“I think it is nice-everyone is scoring. We roll four lines and we are pretty tough to play against when we are all going and everyone is doing their job. It’s what happens, score five goals.”
On playing with Aleksander Barkov:
“I think he is a pretty easy guy to play with. He is a great player, makes great plays. It was an awesome pass he made tonight to me… Over the season, he is a pretty good to play with. He is awesome, can’t say enough good things about him.”
On Florida’s recent performances:
“We have so much forward depth. We just roll four lines all game. It doesn’t feel like there are many teams in the league that can keep up with us and every line brings a different element to the game. It is so much fun to play. The most fun I have had.”
Forward Sam Bennett
On tonight’s game:
“It was a lot of fun. Our whole team was on our game tonight right from the start and we were playing well, playing with energy, we were having fun all night. That’s when our team is at our best.”
On playing at home:
“I think we take a lot of pride in making this a hard place for teams to come in and try to get points. We have done a heck of a job all year at home. We love playing here, we love playing in front of our fans and we love making it tough on our opponents. So we are going to try to do it all year long.”
On scoring his second hat trick of the season:
“It is really nice. Anytime you can generate some personal success and help the team win it is a great feeling, so I am enjoying my time in South Florida that is for sure.”
Forward Anthony Duclair
On team confidence:
“Confidence is growing. All four lines, all the D, are stepping up at the right moments. Bob, can’t forget about Bob—he’s making key saves at key moments at the beginning of the game that a couple bounces could go the other way, so it starts with Bob in net, and we build confidence from there out. It’s really fun to be playing right now, especially at home.”
On finding success with Sam Bennett and Jonathan Huberdeau:
“It’s been great. I’m really happy to be playing with those two guys. They’re so skillful. We’re more confident each and every game, and we get along well off the ice, too, so that helps. I think not only us, but all four lines have been playing really well, doing their jobs, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Interim Head Coach Andrew Brunette
On the 7-1 victory over the Dallas Stars:
“I think the strength of our team is when we kind of get into a bit of a rhythm, where we’re rolling line after line, we’re playing at that kind of pace and we’re able to get a couple goals early. I thought we didn’t overextend ourselves, we stuck to the game plan which shows a sign of maturity with this group. I think we’ve learned some lessons and we’re putting them to use here. So, I really liked the way we managed the game and did the right things all game long and we were rewarded for it.”
On Florida’s continued success at home:
“I think they’ve taken it to another level here this year. I think we built a lot of confidence last year, especially at home. They have fun with this crowd. It’s a fun place to play and we play an exciting brand of hockey. I feel the players are feeding off the crowd, the crowd is feeding off the players, and I think we feel good. We want to bring an identity that South Florida is going to be a real hard place for teams to come in, and they better be ready to play because we play really well at home. I’m proud of the way we’ve played and we’re continuing to build it here night in, night out, and that’s kind of the game plan.”
CATS STATS
- The Panthers earned their league-leading 20th home win of the season in their 23rd home game, the fewest games required to reach 20 home wins in club history. Florida has won five more home games than the next-closest club (STL).
- Only three NHL teams in the past 65 years hit 20 home wins in fewer games: ANA (22 GP in 2013-14), SJS (22 GP in 2008-09) and PHI (22 GP in 1986-87), per NHL PR.
- Florida has earned a point in each of their past eight games (7-0-1), outscoring their opponents 45-21 in that span. Florida’s point streak is tied for the seventh-longest in franchise history.
- The Panthers have won each of their past six games at FLA Live Arena, outscoring visiting teams 36-13 over the course of the streak. The Cats have tallied at least four goals in each game, averaging six goals per game. Florida’s six-game home win streak is tied for the fourth-longest in club history.
- Sam Bennett recorded his third career hat trick and his second this season with Florida (3-0-3, Oct. 16 vs. NYI), matching his career high with four points (3-1-4). He became the eighth different player in Panthers history to post multiple hat tricks in one season.
- Bennett has recorded seven points (3-4-7) over his past four games.
- Jonathan Huberdeau (1-3-4) produced his 13th career four-point game and his third this season, tied for the most four-point outings among all skaters in 2021-22. He surpassed the 50-point mark in his 37th game, the second-fewest games required to surpass 50 points in franchise history (Pavel Bure, 34 GP, 30-21-51).
- Huberdeau extended his point and assist streaks to seven games (4-14-18), tied for his career-long assist and point streaks and his second seven-game assist/point streaks this season. He is the only NHLer with two assist streaks of 7+ games in 2021-22.
- Huberdeau’ and Bennett’s performances marked the fifth and sixth occasion this season that a Panthers skater has recorded four or more points in one game (Huberdeau 3X, Bennett, Duclair, Reinhart). Huberdeau’s three 4+-point performances are tied for the most of any skater this season, and he now leads all skaters with 37 assists (14-37-51).
- Anthony Duclair produced three points (1-2-3), his third 3+-point performance of the season. He has amassed 11 points (6-5-11) over his past eight games, and his +26 rating is tied for the highest among NHL skaters. His plus-six rating tonight is the highest of any skater in 2021-22.
- Brandon Montour notched two assists, his fifth multi-assist game in 2021-22. He has logged five assists (0-5-5) over his past five games.
- Gustav Forsling scored his first goal of the season.
- Anton Lundell produced an assist. He has logged nine points (2-7-9) over his past eight games.
- Aleksander Barkov posted an assist, extending his point streak to four games (3-4-7).
- Sergei Bobrovsky earned his third straight win, and his sixth in his past seven games. He leads all NHL goaltenders with 14 wins on home ice.
