5 TAKEAWAYS: Knight is golden as Panthers defeat Vegas

SUNRISE, Fla. - In a game that had both the look and feel of a heated postseason matchup, rookie goaltender Spencer Knight was nearly unbeatable while turning aside 24 of 25 shots to backstop the Panthers to a 4-1 win over the Golden Knights at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
Winning each of his last two starts, Knight has stopped 51 of 53 shots in that span.

"It looked like the Spencer that we see most of the time," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of the 20-year-old. "He went through COVID and a couple of games where we left him out to dry, but tonight and in Vancouver [in his last start] he looked very solid, very sound and very quiet. He looked like Spencer, and you can see how great of a goalie he's going to be."
In first place in the Atlantic Division at 30-9-5, Florida has won 12 of its last 15 games.
"I've played for a while and coached for a while and been around, and you don't get too many opportunities to be around a group like this," Brunette said. "With the level of joy and compete, and how they hold each other accountable, and how they come to play and the unselfishness that you see day in, day out, you get spoiled watching it. It's fun to be a part of, it's fun to watch, and they're capable of great things. We're working hard every day to get to those great things."
Netting the lone goal for the Golden Knights to open the scoring, Zach Whitecloud received a pass from Mattias Janmark, walked into the center of the right circle and ripped a wicked shot over Knight's blocker and under the crossbar to make it a 1-0 game at 7:51 of the first period.
Nearly as lethal on the penalty kill as they are on the power play, the Panthers then pulled even when Aleksander Barkov, after kickstarting the sequence with a swipe in the neutral zone, teed up a pass from rookie Anton Lundell and blasted home a shorthanded goal to make it 1-1 at 19:31.
Florida's seven shorthanded goals rank first in the NHL this season.
"We stayed together and played a really tight game," Barkov said. "We didn't give them much, and when we did give anything Knighter was there. Overall, I think it was a good game by us."
Putting the Panthers on top less than two minutes into the second period, Sam Bennett carried the puck out of the defensive zone and up the ice before firing a quick shot from the top of the left circle that caught a piece of Robin Lehner before sailing into the net to make it 2-1 at 1:18.
Clamping down in the third period, the Panthers held the Golden Knights to just five shots on goal over the final 20 minutes. Keeping their foot on the gas, Mason Marchment and Bennett each notched empty-net goals in the final minute to make it 4-1 and lock in Florida's eighth straight win at home.

"Knighter played great," Bennett said. "I thought we did a solid job of shutting them down and still playing hard hockey while limiting their chances. That's what you've got to do in a tight game. That was important for our team."
Going for nine in a row at home, the Cats will host the Sharks on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's win in Sunrise…

1. BARKY'S MILESTONES

The captain hit some major milestones tonight.
With his shorthanded goal in the first period, Barkov recorded the 500th point and 200th goal of his NHL career, joining his longtime friend and teammate Jonathan Huberdeau (557) as the only two players in franchise history to reach the storied 500-point plateau in a Panthers sweater.
His third milestone in recent weeks, he tallied the 300th assist of his career on Jan. 23 at Seattle.
"Those are the milestones you're going to think about at the end of your career," said Barkov, whose four shorthanded goals are tied for first in the NHL at the time of this writing. "I'm really happy to get it out of the way. Playing on this team with such great players, it's a pleasure."

Selected by the Panthers with the second-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Barkov needed only 560 games to reach 500 points, becoming the fourth-fastest Finnish-born player to hit that majestic mark behind only Jari Kurri (356), Teemu Selanne (384) and Tomas Sandstrom (501).
Producing at better than a point-per-game pace this season, Barkov, who led Florida's forwards with five shots on goal against Vegas, has tallied 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 31 games.
"It's not easy to score or get points in this league, and he makes it look easy," Bennett said. "He's a heck of a player and been a great leader and role model for me ever since I got here."

2. BENNY'S BIG GOALS

With plenty of games left to play, Bennett has already set a new career-high in goals.
Lighting the lamp for the 19th time this season, the mustachioed forward gave the Panthers the lead early in the second period when he carried the puck all the way up the ice and fired a shot that went through a defender before clipping off Lehner and into the cage to make it a 2-1 game.
Not done there, he then pocketed his 20th goal with an empty-netter late in the third.

Those 20 goals are the most since he scored 18 as a rookie during the 2015-16 campaign.
"I'm having fun and playing with a lot of confidence," said Bennett, who's scored 26 goals in 44 games since the Panthers acquired him from Calgary at last year's trade deadline for a prospect and a pick. "Playing with some great players helps a lot, too. It's all clicking for me right now."
Leading the Panthers in goals, Bennett has been nothing short of nightmare fuel for opposing netminders in the early goings of 2022. Since Jan. 1, he ranks tied for second in the league in goals with 11, incredibly needing just nine total games to accrue all of that damage on offense.

3. NIGHTY KNIGHT

Who needs a whole team of Golden Knights when you have a Spencer Knight?
Standing on his head for his second straight game, the talented rookie turned aside 24 of 25 shots against Vegas, including stopping all 14 shots he faced over the final 40 minutes of play.
"They really pushed us, but I thought our team played well," Knight said.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Knight went a perfect 7-for-7 on shots from high-danger areas.
"I was just trying to do what I can to help," the humble youngster said.
Owning a 9-5-2 record, Knight is 3-1-0 with a .921 save percentage over his last four starts.

4. HOME COOKING

The Panthers protect their house like no other team in the league.
By improving to 22-3-0 at FLA Live Arena with tonight's win, they tied the NHL record for most wins by a team at home through the first 25 games of a season, joining the 2011-12 Red Wings (22-2-1), 2008-09 Sharks (22-1-2), 1970-71 Bruins (22-2-1) and 1943-44 Canadiens (22-0-3).
Putting on a show for their fans, the Cats have outscored their opponents 118-66 in Sunrise.

"They love playing in front of this crowd," Brunette said of the club's home-ice advantage. "Our fans are treated most nights with a really good effort, and we're treated with their loyalty and passion. We hope we keep it going. A pretty good number, but we've got a lot of hockey left."
Bolstered by their strong play at home, Florida has hit 30 total wins faster than ever before.

5. FORSLING RETURNS

The "Gus Bus" is up and running once again.
After sitting out the last four games while in COVID protocols, Gustav Forsling returned to the lineup against the Golden Knights. Seeing 22:58 of ice time, the smooth-skating defenseman looked no worse for wear while compiling two takeaways and a +2 rating in his first game back.
Hitting a personal milestone, tonight's game was the 200th of his NHL career.
"I feel like I'm taking big steps here," Forsling said. "I'm grateful for this organization."
When Forsling was on the ice against Vegas at 5-on-5, the Cats led 11-6 in scoring chances.