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Florida Panthers: Barkov’s Hat Trick Saves the Cats from Embarrassment

By Kevin Kraczkowski

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 15: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers shoots and scores in overtime for the win against Goaltender Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the BB&T Center on December 15, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 15: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers shoots and scores in overtime for the win against Goaltender Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the BB&T Center on December 15, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Aleksander Barkov scored his third goal of the night, just over halfway through the five-minute overtime to cut short the Toronto Maple Leafs comeback.

Jonathan Huberdeau stole the puck on the blue line and got it to Barkov. Barkov then faked Frederik Anderson nearly out of his skates with the game-winner, his 14th marker of the season. Huberdeau leads the Florida Panthers with 29 assists.

Florida Panthers Jump Out

Barkov also scored the first goal of the game with just seconds left in the opening period. Mike Hoffman slid the puck through heavy traffic onto Evgeni Dadonov’s tape.

Dadonov kept it for a 10th of a second before finding Barkov high on Anderson’s glove side for a 1-0 lead. Keith Yandle and Huberdeau were also heavily involved in the power play goal.

The Florida Panthers deadly power play struck again midway through the second period. Huberdeau (9) buried a slick wrister high on Anderson’s glove side to double Florida’s lead. Assists on the play were credited to Yandle and Hoffman.

Toronto Fights Back

The Maple Leafs induced heartburn in many-a-Panthers fan in the third period. After living legend Roberto Luongo kept the Leafs scoreless for over 50 minutes and 24 shots, John Tavares (20) lit the lamp to give Toronto some hope.

Tavares tipped a hard Jake Gardiner slapper past Luongo to get the Leafs within a goal. Morgan Rielly also earned an assist on the play.

With under four minutes remaining, Mitchell Marner (7) tied the game for the Leafs. He beat Luongo high on the glove side after fooling Frank Vatrano with a nifty move. Nazem Kadri and Nikita Zaitsev had the helpers.

Just 27 seconds after the game was tied, Barkov (13) notched his second marker of the night. Troy Brouwer fed a streaking Barkov from behind the net for an easy one-timer.

Denis Malgin earned the second assist. It should’ve been the game-winner, but then something else happened.

Marner racked one off the post for his second goal of the night just two minutes after his first, to again tie the contest.

After the Leafs had pulled Anderson for the extra skater, he smacked the biscuit past a clearly deflated Luongo, high stick-side. Reilly and Gardiner were again credited with the helpers on the play.

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Some Other Thoughts

  • After Luongo stopped the first 24 shots against him, he allowed the Leafs to put home three of their last eight.
  • The Florida Panthers played a very physical game, outhitting the Leafs, 24-to-12. No Toronto player had more than two. The Panthers, meanwhile, were led by Alex Petrovic with five. Mark Pysyk, Brouwer, and Jayce Hawryluk each had four.
  • Pysyk was the only player on either team to finish with a minus-2.
  • With a goal and an assist, this was Huberdeau’s 14th multi-point game of the season.
  • MacKenzie Weegar was served a double-minor and a 10-minute misconduct penalty on a cross-check midway through the second period.
  • Like every other night, Barkov led everyone with takeaways, with four. In this game, though, he was merely tied for the lead, with Vatrano.

Next. Strong Finish to December Needed. dark

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