SUNRISE, Fla. _ Reunited, and it felt so good.
The surprise announcement from the Florida Panthers came via email on Friday at 9:03 a.m., that not only was top-line center Aleksander Barkov returning after a 15-game absence due to a back ailment, but that his left wing, Jonathan Huberdeau, would surprisingly make his 2016-17 debut after sitting out the entire season with a surgically repaired Achilles' tendon.
No one could be happier than their soon-to-be 45-year-old legendary right wing, Jaromir Jagr, who seemed energized after playing with his less than usual joy this season without his two young proteges to play keepaway with.
It took less than a period for the skillful trio to make their presence felt against the Anaheim Ducks. After several prime scoring chances the dynamic duo clicked when Barkov shrugged off a check to deliver a centering pass to an onrushing Huberdeau, who buried a slot-shot past to lift the Panthers to a 2-1 victory at a raucous BB&T Center.
The victory gave the Panthers their first three-game winning streak in their sixth attempt. More significantly, it trimmed their deficit to two points for a playoff spot in the bunched-up Atlantic Division as well as the wild card chase.
For the first time this season the Panthers were completely healthy and four games above .500 at 23-19-10, as the victory catapulted them into a four-day bye break brimming with optimism.
Huberdeau, 23, who wasn't expected back until March, celebrated as if he hadn't scored in nearly 10 months which indeed was the case with his last goal coming on April 9 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
"There's a little difference between off the ice and on the ice, but most important is you've got to feel good on the ice," Huberdeau said after morning skate. "We're not going to come here and we're going to win for sure because me and (Barkov) are back. It's a team game and I think we're just pieces of the puzzle."
The Panthers couldn't have downed the Pacific Division powerhouse Ducks without the continued exploits of goalie James Reimer, who became a new father on Tuesday and won his 100th career game three days later with 22 saves.
Not long after Barkov and Huberdeau received a huge ovation from the fans when they stepped on the ice for the first time, the Ducks grabbed a 1-0 lead at 9:39 on a long wrist shot by defenseman Hampus Lindholm that Reimer would love to have another crack at.
The Panthers countered 13 seconds later when defenseman Jason Demers centered a pass to a charging Reilly Smith. The puck caromed off Smith's skate and past John Gibson for his 10th goal of the season. All three goals came with the teams skating 4-on-4.
Just before the period ended, the top-line trio resorted to their puck-possessing, slick-passing ways until Huberdeau set up Alex Petrovic with a no-look pass for a primo scoring chance.
Midway through the second period the Panthers were unable to score on a 1:55 two-man advantage despite peppering Gibson with five point-blank shots. Again skating 4-on-4, defenseman Keith Yandle sent a long pass up ice to Barkov, who fed Huberdeau for his first goal of the season at 15:02 to give Florida a 2-1 lead after two.
The Panthers clamped down in the third holding the Ducks to three shots to preserve the storybook victory.
"We've been playing hard, trying hard and try to play our own game, but right now there's 31 games left and we're still in the playoff race," Barkov said. "Me and Huby worked hard this last month ... so we've been building that chemistry together. Right now we know each other even more so we're really excited and happy to be back."
Jagr played like a frisky colt with his two young linemates and would've had a goal early in the second period on a wide-open stuff shot if not for a stick save by defenseman Sami Vatanen.
"It's kind of an inexplicable line," said third-line forward Nick Bjugstad, who has missed 28 games due to injuries. "The last few years I've been saying they're like the Harlem Globetrotters just the way they handle the puck, playing with each other."
Panthers president of hockey operations Dale Tallon said that the top line's ability to control the puck should bolster the 26th-ranked offense, which was ranked 8th last season.
"Puck possession is important," Tallon said. "You don't have to be a genius to figure out the longer you have the puck the better chance you have of winning hockey games. Those two guys especially, when they're on the ice combined with Jagr and our skill on the back end ... They're a point-per-game guys potentially and that's very important in a 3-2 league."
