5 Takeaways: Barkov Scores, Driedger Saves as Panthers Shutout Preds

SUNRISE, Fla. -Sometimes, you only need one goal.
After Aleksander Barkov opened the scoring, Chris Driedger handled the rest, stopping all 21 shots he faced to lift the Panthers to a 2-0 win over the Predators at BB&T Center on Saturday.

"We played a phenomenal game," said Driedger, who hadn't started a game in almost two weeks. "It's a tough game. Having not played for a little bit, it's just nice to get back and have a solid effort in front of me. I was just trying to stay sharp and keep the puck out of the net."
Following a scoreless first period, Driedger kept the Panthers from falling down into a 1-0 hole when he sprawled out to rob Nick Cousins of what looked like a surefire goal on a 2-on-1 break.
Just a few minutes after that, Barkov took all of the momentum generated by that eye-popping save and turned it into the game's opening goal. Settling down a loose puck in the slot, the Cats captain then backhanded a shot right over Juuse Saros and into the cage to make it 1-0 at 9:15.
While the Panthers continued to generate plenty of scoring chances, that would be the only goal to speak of until late in the third period when Anthony Duclair essentially iced the game with a clutch empty-net goal that made it 2-0 with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock in regulation.
After making 40 saves during a 2-1 win over Florida on Thursday, Saros was tough to crack once again this afternoon as he stopped 47 of 48 shots in a losing effort. For the Panthers, Driedger was especially good at even-strength, where he stopped all 18 of Nashville's shots.
"Both goalies were great," Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist said. "I think those were the two best players on the ice. Obviously, we got the better hand on that one, but Saros was good, too. Driegs was calm back there and made the saves when we needed them. Our PK was huge, too. A lot of good things. We'll take the momentum here for tomorrow against Tampa."
Now sitting at 20-6-4, the Panthers are 9-0-1 in games following losses this season.
With first place in the Central Division on the line, the Panthers will kick off a five-game road trip with a matchup against the rival Lightning at Amalie Arena on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET.
"We were pleased with our first part of the year," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "In the second half, we've gotten off here with this series. Both games were competitive, and we expect the second half to be even more competitive in games. Everybody's familiar with one another in the division. There's going to be some tough games going forward. We want to keep pushing."
Here are five takeaways from Saturday's win in Sunrise…

1. SHOOTING GALLERY

The Panthers did everything but put the puck in the back of the net in the first period.
With 20 minutes of play in the books, the Panthers headed into the first intermission with hard-to-ignore advantages in shots on goal (22-7), shot attempts (31-13) and scoring chances (16-3).
If they could keep that pressure up, the Cats knew eventually they'd break through.
"We just kept the momentum from the first shift to the last shift," Hornqvist said of Florida's relentless attack throughout the entire game. "I think that was one of our better 60-minute efforts. We didn't have many turnovers. If we're playing like this, it's going to be hard to beat us."
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Florida led Nashville 76-42 in shot attempts.
"We had some tough luck," Quenneville said. "It was one of those games where it looked like we were throwing everything but the kitchen sink and getting nothing for it. Sticking with it was the best part about it from our end."

2. BARKOV BREAKS THE STALEMATE

The "Barkov needs to shoot more crowd" has finally been silenced this season.
Already leading the Panthers in shots on goal, the 25-year-old center potted his team-leading 13th goal of the season this afternoon, jumping on a loose puck in the slot before lifting a shot right over Saros and into the net to break the ice and make it 1-0 at 9:15 of the second period.

"We've just got to keep going the same way," Barkov said.
Now tied with Jonathan Huberdeau for the team-scoring lead with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists), Barkov has generated five goals and three assists over his last five games. In 18 career meetings with the Predators, he's posted five goals and nine assists for 14 points.
When Barkov was on the ice this afternoon, Florida owned an 11-1 advantage in shots.

3. STILL STREAKING

With an assist on Barkov's opening tally, MacKenzie Weegar hit a couple milestones.
In addition to setting a new career-high with his 19th point of the season, the 27-year-old also extended his career-best point streak to an impressive seven games, which moved him into a tie with teammate Keith Yandle for the longest such streak by a blueliner in franchise history.

With 18 of his 19 points coming at even-strength, Weegar ranks second to only Edmonton's Darnell Nurse (19) in that category among NHL defensemen. During his current point streak, he's produced one goal and eight assists, with one of those points coming while shorthanded.

4. DRIEDGER'S CLEAN SHEET

Quenneville agrees Driedger's save on Cousins in the second period was a turning point.
"It was a huge save," Quenneville. "There's been times in games where the timing of certain saves had an impact on the outcome, and that's one that you can reflect back on and say, 'O.K., for sure.' It was great. He anticipated everything about it. It was a dangerous play."

Making his first start since March 7, Driedger, who had backed up Sergei Bobrovsky in each of the previous five contests, didn't skip a beat in his return to the blue paint. Stopping all 21 shots that came his way, the 26-year-old ended up posting the second shutout of his budding career.
Oddly enough, both of those shutouts have come against the Predators.
"There's always just a belief that we can win, just go out and get the job done" said Driedger, who is 8-3-2 with a .924 save percentage this season. "In a game like tonight, we didn't really give them anything. I felt like my job was relatively straightforward tonight… We're feeling good."

5. AROUND THE HORN

It's funny how things just work out sometimes.
More than 15 years after the Predators took a flyer on him with the final pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, Hornqvist skated in the 800th game of his career against his former club this afternoon.

"It means a lot," Hornqvist said. "I've been in the league for a long time and hopefully I've got a lot of years left in me. I still love the game. I like our effort tonight. It wasn't the prettiest game out there from both sides, but we competed, we were on the right side of pucks and we won all the 50/50 [battles]."
Of those 800 games, 30 have come with the Panthers, 363 with the Predators and 407 with the Penguins, who he helped win back-to-back Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. Blessed with a nose for the net, 34-year-old has accumulated 249 goals and 255 assists for 504 points in his career.
In his first season with Florida, Hornqvist ranks tied for second on the team with 11 goals.