Panthers forward Sam Reinhart speaks to the media following Florida's 8-4 win in Colorado on Jan. 6. The Florida Panthers are rolling right now. If this were 2022, snarky pundits would be calling them a wagon. Florida has reeled off seven consecutive wins over the past couple weeks, and most of the dubs have come against formidable opponents. Two wins over Vegas and victories over the Rangers, Tampa Bay and Colorado have been earned during the Cats’ run, the latter of which came on Saturday in Denver. The game was billed as a battle of two of the top teams in the league, and in terms of entertainment value, it delivered. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] It was not, however, the kind of game you’d normally see between two postseason competitors. Let’s get to the takeaways: Not your typical game between Cup contenders There were a lot of abnormalities in Saturday’s game between Colorado and Florida, two teams considering among those that are worthy of competing for the Stanley Cup. It was probably a bit more shocking to see the Avalanche fall behind 3-0 at home than it was for them to climb right out of the hole and tie the game. And that was just the beginning. “Weird one, no doubt about it,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said afterwards. “To come out that quickly and get a lead like that, and then have it disappear on you just as fast. There was a tremendous amount of fabulous offensive. They beat us three times from high, but they’ve got good shooters and we’ve got good shooters. Then I think it settled in a little bit and turned into a bit of a grinder and a better game, but I liked the fact that our bench didn't get too high or too low.” Reinhart’s steps up Yes, Sam Reinhart logged his first hat trick of the season, and is now up to 28 goals and 50 points through 39 games, but the way he picked up his linemates on Saturday cannot go unmentioned. Both Sasha Barkov and Evan Rodrigues were dealing with respective ailments and not able to perform as usual – Rodrigues was playing through pain and Barkov was wearing a protective face shield – though you couldn’t tell from looking at the results. The trio combined for nine points in Colorado, as Barkov logged four assists while Rodrigues added two of his own. “I know it's a hat trick, but we've seen that hockey from him all year,” Maurice said of Reinhart. “He's so consistent with it, Barkov too. It’s the little adjustments that (Reinhart) makes: Barkov has got the bucket on, he can’t take as many face offs, (Reinhart) takes more. Roddy (Rodrigues) was playing in a little bit of pain today, so (Reinhart was) under the puck a little bit more. He's just such an astute hockey man, he can pick up the changes in the game very quickly.” Barkov the apple picker Speaking of Barkov, he has been on one epic run of distributing the puck. Florida’s captain has multi-assist games in four of his past seven outings. He’s got 13 helpers during that span, capped off by Saturday’s effort against Colorado. Barkov is now averaging nearly an assist per game, with 32 helpers through 36 outings. After the game, Maurice joked that Barkov may need to keep his new facial accessory after dishing out four apples though the ‘bubble.’ “He's just been fast all year, and the helmet didn't slow him down,” Maurice said. “But he's going to have to wear it now consecutively. He gets four (assists) the next night, so it's on, he's wearing it all year.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers outduel Colorado 8-4, extend winning streak to seven games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-outduel-colorado-8-4-extend-winning-streak-to-seven-games] Panthers recall Mackie Samoskevich, place Nick Cousins on Injured Reserve [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-recall-mackie-samoskevich-place-nick-cousins-on-injured-reserve] Streaking Panthers arrive in Colorado riding high, but with injury questions [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/streaking-panthers-arrive-in-colorado-riding-high-but-with-injury-questions] Three takeaways: Panthers dig deep for clutch win in Vegas, Tkachuk turning a corner [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/three-takeaways-panthers-dig-deep-for-clutch-win-in-vegas-tkachuk-turning-a-corner] Barkov, Rodrigues to be reevaluated after leaving Vegas game with injuries [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/barkov-rodrigues-to-be-reevaluated-after-leaving-vegas-game-with-injuries] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
