Panthers' time for success is now, Huberdeau says

Jonathan Huberdeau said the time is now for the Florida Panthers.

"We had some years where we didn't win that many games," the forward said at the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game. "The ownership stuck with us, the players, and I think now it's our time to show them that they picked the right players. We're more mature now, and the leaders of this team just have to show it on the ice."
The Panthers (33-10-5) started the season with an eight-game winning streak and 10 wins in the first 11 games. Their longest streak without a win has been 0-2-2 from Nov. 8-13.
They haven't lost four in a row since, have won 13 of 17 since Jan. 1, and are first in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division entering their game at the Minnesota Wild on Friday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).
Now they want to keep the good times rolling and find the same success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something that has eluded them throughout their history.
It's been 26 years since the Panthers won a playoff series, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in its third season (1995-96) before getting swept by the Colorado Avalanche. Florida did make the postseason each of the last two seasons but lost in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers in 2019-20 to the New York Islanders and in the 2020-21 Stanley Cup First Round to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I think we played really good games. We played good enough to win, but Tampa [Bay] just figured out how to win those games," Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov said in September at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour. "Even though they didn't play better than us, they still found a way to win the games and that's all that counts in the playoffs. That's what I think we learned, like how to do those little things right, not to get ahead of ourselves. Think about that exact moment and go from there."
Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist, who was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sept. 24, 2020, and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2016 and 2017, said he sees similarities between those championship teams and Florida when it comes to dealing with in-game adversity.
"I remember the times in Pittsburgh when we won, even if we were down a few goals in the second and third, you knew you had it in you in that room," Hornqvist said. "I feel the same thing here. we know what we're capable of when we're playing our best hockey. That's such a great thing."
The Panthers are 23-0-0 when leading after two periods, 6-9-1 when trailing, 3-1-4 when tied after two periods, and have outscored opponents 65-43 in the third period this season.

Led by Huberdeau's 66 points (17 goals, 49 assists), they are first in the NHL with 4.06 goals per game, have scored at least six goals eight times, and twice scored nine goals: a 9-3 win against the Lightning on Dec. 30 and a 9-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 15.
"They can score like 10 goals a game, that's the challenge," Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy said with a laugh. "I mean, obviously they were pretty good the last few years. It's not like, this year they're so good. No, they were good the last few years. Obviously, this year their offense is just off the charts. As I said, you have to be ready to make some saves when you're playing against them."
A good part of the scoring comes from players who have been with Florida from the start. Huberdeau was selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft; Barkov, selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, is fourth on the Panthers with 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 35 games; defenseman Aaron Ekblad, their No. 1 selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, is third with 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists) in 47 games.
After Bill Zito was named general manager on Sept. 2, 2020, the Panthers signed free agent forward Carter Verhaeghe, who won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020, on Oct. 9, 2020, and forward Anthony Duclair on Dec. 17. They acquired forward Sam Bennett in a trade from the Calgary Flames on April 12, 2021, and No. 2 scorer Sam Reinhart (45 points in 45 games) in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on July 24, 2021.
Add in third-line left wing Mason Marchment, who has scored 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 23 games, and rookie forward Anton Lundell, who has scored 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 44 games, and Florida has the secondary scoring that is necessary for postseason success.
"We're very deep and I think we play a really competitive, fast brand of hockey," coach Andrew Brunette said.
The 48-year-old was promoted Oct. 29 after coach Joel Quenneville resigned following an independent investigation into allegations by former Chicago Blackhawks forward Kyle Beach of sexual assault in 2010 by then-video coach Brad Aldrich.
"We knew we were deep on the forward position. You have a guy like 'Marchy,' who played really good for us down the stretch and in the playoffs last year, so we knew what he was going to bring," Brunette said. "Adding 'Reino,' such a versatile player and so smart, you can move him up and down the lineup, so we knew whatever line we put him on that line was going to be productive. It's fun to watch them evolve, this group, together. They're a highly competitive puck-hounding team and puck-support team that has really been a lot of fun to be around."
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, 0-1-2 against Florida this season including a 3-2 overtime loss Wednesday, called the Panthers a "juggernaut team for me."
"That management team's done a great job of how they've assembled that team. There are no weaknesses on that team," Brind'Amour said. "You play a team, you think 'OK, we may be able to take advantage of this or that.' You play that team, there's none.
"They play to their identity, which all the top teams do. You know what you're going to get, you're going to get a high-octane go team, and you have to be on your toes or they'll make you pay. They're a fun team to watch, not so much fun to play against them."
The Panthers have been a frustrating team in the regular season. As they wrap up the final 34 games, they want to keep that same edge into the playoffs.
"The next part of the season is going to be the most fun," Huberdeau said. "It doesn't matter what you did now. You put yourself in a great position in the standings. It gets harder and harder. It doesn't matter if you're first or eighth, you still have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. In the playoffs, anything can happen."
NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen and senior fantasy editor Pete Jensen contributed to this report