The Florida Panthers have climbed their way into the NHL's Eastern Conference playoff picture. Monday's win over the Detroit Red Wings also featured a historic moment for star forward Aleksander Barkov.
Barkov recorded an assist in the Panthers' 5-2 win. With that point, he has now surpassed former Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau for the most points in franchise history.
The record-breaking point game in the second period. With the Panthers up 2-1, Barkov and Sam Reinhart combined to assist on defenseman Gustav Forsling's 10th goal of the season.
Barkov tied Huberdeau on Saturday in a game against the New Jersey Devils. The Panthers captain found Reinhart for an empty net goal that sealed a victory for Florida.
After the game, Barkov told reporters that things haven't set in yet. “I'll realize it more when time passes. It all happened so quick, and you don't really think about that during the game,” he said.
With their victory on Monday, the Panthers have overtaken the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Eastern Conference's final Wild Card spot. Florida is also just a single point behind the New York Islanders for the top Wild Card spot in the conference.
“We always believed in ourselves. The job's not done yet. We clawed back, but we still have a lot of work to do. We have the right guys in the room,” Barkov said of his team's playoff chase.
Barkov and the Panthers have 11 games remaining on their regular season schedule. They are back at it again on Tuesday when they face the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia.
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