The Panthers were again led to a postseason berth by the combination of Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov.
Huberdeau, who paced the team in points last season, has tallied 57 points by way of 18 goals and 39 assists, while Barkov is leading the team in goals with 24 goals and 28 assists.
Following the departure of Mike Hoffman to the St. Louis Blues, the Panthers needed to make up for his 59 points from the 2019-20 campaign. And Carter Verhaeghe, who signed with the team as a free agent in October, has stepped up with 17 goals and 18 assists.
The Florida offense had scored 158 goals this season
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Knight stands tall in Panthers 5-1 win over Blue Jackets
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Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
Spencer Knight made 33 saves to win his NHL debut as the Florida Panthers pummeled the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 5-1 count to wrap up what turned out by a lopsided season series between the two teams.
Knight, who turned 20 on Monday, became the first goaltender born in the aughts to play an NHL game. He became the first Panthers goaltender to record a win in their NHL debut, and he is also the youngest goalie to earn a victory for the team in franchise history
For the Blue Jackets, the reality is this isn t all that fun at the moment.
In the NHL, the most fun a player can have is when a team is winning games, lots of them, and that s the opposite of how things are going for the Blue Jackets. Columbus has won just two of its last 15 games, including an 0-5-1 mark in the last six, and the team is now tied with Detroit for last place in the Central Division.
Obviously, the Blue Jackets have been gutted by trades (Nick Foligno, David Savard, Riley Nash) and injuries (Zach Werenski, Boone Jenner, Gustav Nyquist, Emil Bemstrom) in recent weeks, which makes it hard to compete at the moment. At the same time, no number of excuses makes it easier on a professional athlete to handle the kind of stretch the Jackets are in right now.