Three takeaways: Impressive outings from 2 star forwards, Florida keeps cooking at home
Sam Reinhart and Connor Bedard put on a show for the fans at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday
As the Florida Panthers prepare to hit the road for three games in California, the team is riding high.
Florida won its fourth game in a row on Sunday, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.
It was a fun game to watch, with back-and-forth action and plenty of goals, including a pair by Chicago’s superstar rookie Connor Bedard.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the efforts by the amazing 18-year-old weren’t enough to overtime another big night by Florida’s top line, and one player in particular.
Let’s get to our three takeaways from Sunday’s win over Chicago.
Sam Reinhart keeps rolling
Florida’s pending unrestricted free agent is having one of the best stretches of his career.
Reinhart had 2 goals and 2 assists on Sunday, his third straight multi-point outing.
Through the Panthers first 14 games, Reinhart now has 11 goals and 21 points.
Florida's top forward line, featuring Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues flanking center Sasha Barkov, has been one of the best in the league over the past week, both in terms of production and possession metrics.
“He's just got this great balance of intensity and then other times just thinking his way, finding holes, and he's got such great hands around the net. I’m happy for him because he's worked hard to get himself to that point,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said after Sunday’s game.
Cats Enjoying Home Cooking
Sunday’s win improved Florida’s record on home ice to 6-1-0.
Creating a strong home ice advantage is crucial for teams who hope to compete year after year.
Even in just the year-plus that Maurice has been behind Florida’s bench, he’s noticed a difference inside Amerant Bank Arena.
“It's a good place for us,” said Maurice. “The building is good and the crowds are good. There's no away fans now, it's all Panther fans, and you can feel it. We're hopeful we keep building it, but the fans will drive your hockey team during part of the year, you get fatigued and you get behind it a little bit, and having your home crowd there is a real advantage.
“We’ve been pretty darn good defensively in here,” added Maurice. “We haven't had a night that we traded too much. We’re comfortable at home, we've got enough depth that the there is a bit of an advantage for us with matchups where you can roll Barkov (and his line) out, so that that helps you, then having Sam (Bennett) back just gives us more depths down the middle.”
Said Bennett: “The fans here are incredible. They showed it all last season with the support, and it's rolled over to this year. We love playing in this building in front of these fans.”
Connor Bedard Likes Playing Florida Teams
Rookie sensation Connor Bedard has been impressive so far in his brief NHL career, particularly against teams from the state of Florida.
Though his first 13 games, Bedard has racked up 9 goals and 13 points, leading all rookies.
He’s got 4 goals and 6 points over his past two games, which were against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bedard also scored a goal last weekend when his Blackhawks defeated the Panthers in Chicago.
“He’s got an unbelievable release and ability to change angles,” Maurice said. “The goals that he scored against us were not great angle goals, but they're really good shots. He changes the angle so it's hard to read. He's going to score an awful lot of those.”
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