5 TAKEAWAYS: Off to Record Start, Panthers Top Avs for 4th Straight Win

SUNRISE, Fla. - In Miami, the Heat opened up its season on Thursday night.
But the hottest team in South Florida?
They were playing up the road in Sunrise. Getting off to a 4-0-0 start for the first time in franchise history, Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves and Sam Bennett scored the go-ahead goal on the power play in the second period to lead the streaking Panthers to an impressive 4-1 win over the Avalanche at FLA Live Arena.

"There's some progress there," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think consistency is something that we stressed coming into the season, that our start was going to be very critical to what's going to happen at the end. We've played some good opponents, and there's been some good signs."
Improving his own record on the season to 3-0-0 with another stellar performance, Bobrovsky earned the 300th win of his NHL career, becoming just the 38th goaltender to hit that lofty mark.
"It definitely means something," said Bobrovsky, who's won 55 games over parts of three seasons with Florida. "I've been fortunate to play with great players, with great defensemen, forwards and teams. I appreciate them for this milestone. I had fun playing in the game."
Opening the scoring for the fourth straight game, the Panthers jumped out to an early lead when Mason Marchment won a footrace for a loose puck at the end boards and then shipped a pass to Sam Reinhart for a goal right outside the blue paint to make it 1-0 at 14:32 of the first period.
Pulling the Avalanche even with just 53.9 seconds remaining in the first period, Mikko Rantanen swept a rebound past Sergei Bobrovsky after a shot from Samuel Girard to make it a 1-1 game.
Only two games removed from scoring a hat trick, Sam Bennett put the Panthers back on top at 9:04 of the second period when he beat Jonas Johansson, who was blinded by a perfectly set screen from Patric Hornqvist, with a shot from the slot on the power play to make it a 2-1 game.
Extending the lead with less than a minute left to go in the middle frame, Carter Verhaeghe gathered the puck along the half-wall, skated into the slot and scored to make it 3-1 at 19:13. Filling up the net, Florida has scored a franchise-record 18 goals in its first four games.
"Everyone's contributing," Bennett said of the offense. "That's the sign of a good team. It's a good feeling when everyone is getting on the board. We're just going to try to keep it rolling."
That would be all the goal support the Cats would need as Bobrovsky, a two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL, stopped all eight shots he faced in the third period.
With 1:13 left in regulation, rookie Anton Lundell scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-1.
Earning the No. 1 spot on the NHL's most-recent "Super 16" power rankings, the Panthers, who posted the fourth-best record in the league last season, have seemingly picked up right where they left off and have gained control of first place in the Atlantic Division right out of the gate.
"We're having a lot of fun right now," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "Coming to the rink since Day 1, we've been working hard. Whether it's on the ice or at the gym, we like being around each other. We've just put the work in. … We've beat a lot of good teams so far."
Going for their fifth straight win, the Panthers will visit the Flyers on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's win in Sunrise…

1. REINHART'S FEELING IT

Still adjusting to his surroundings, Reinhart said he felt he'd turn a corner after last game.
Turning those words into action, the 25-year-old forward, who dished out a pair of assists during Tuesday's win at Tampa Bay, opened the scoring tonight when he beat Johansson with a shot from right on top of the blue paint to put the Panthers ahead 1-0 at 14:32 of the first period.
Helping set up the goal was a great hustle play from Marchment.

"It helped last game to contribute a little bit, to just relax coming into a new environment," Reinhart said. "The guys have been great, and it feels even better to help again tonight."
In the midst of his first season with the Panthers after being acquired in a trade with the Sabres in the offseason, Reinhart has now posted three points (one goal, two assists) since being put on a line with Lundell, who also has one goal and two assists in that span.
"I think there's a little chemistry there with Lundy," Quenneville said. Last season, Reinhart led Buffalo and matched his career-high with 25 goals.

2. BENNY BAGS ANOTHER

On a team loaded with goal-scorers, it's Bennett that's carrying the hottest stick.
With a hat trick already in his back pocket from last week, the bearded centerman lit the lamp once again tonight when he beat a heavily-screened Johansson with a slick snipe on the power play for the clutch go-ahead goal that put the Panthers on top 2-1 at 9:04 of the second period.
"A great screen by Horny in front," Bennett said. "I don't think the goalie saw it."

With four goals already this season, Bennett has been putting on a scoring clinic ever since he arrived in South Florida last season. Coming over from Calgary at last year's trade deadline, the 25-year-old forward has amassed 10 goals and nine assists in only 14 games since the move.

3. A LITTLE BREATHING ROOM

Thanks to Verhaeghe, the Panthers had some breathing room heading into the third period.
With just 47 seconds left on the clock in the middle frame, the man they call "Swaggy" collected the puck off the half-wall, skated into the slot and sent a shot past Johansson's right skate blade and into the back of the net to extend Florida's lead to 3-1 heading into the second intermission.

"Barky took his man to the corner and created a lot of space for me," Verhaeghe said.
After scoring a career-high 18 goals in 2020-21, it appears that Verhaeghe hasn't cooled off one bit in the early goings of his second season in South Florida. Through a mere four games, the 26-year-old forward has already produced five points, including lighting the lamp three times.
"We were good from start to finish," Verhaeghe said of the win. "We're playing great hockey."

4. THREE HUNDRED WINS

Bobrovsky officially has enough wins to defend Sparta.
Becoming just the 38th goaltender in NHL history to record 300 wins, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner was outstanding against the Avalanche, coming up with one key stop after another en route to a 30-save performance and another massive milestone for his mantle.
"He was unbelievable," Barkov said of Bobrovsky, who went 10-for-11 on high-danger shots. "He gave us a chance to win. Obviously, he was there whenever we needed. They had a lot of good chances, but he stood on his head. He gave us a chance to win, and we did the rest."
While it's hard to pick favorites out of all those stops, two in particular stood out.
First, there was his kick-save to deny J.T. Compher on a breakaway in the first period. Then, early in the second, he somehow outdid himself when he flashed leather to absolutely rob -- or should we say "Bob" -- Andre Burakovsky on a 2-on-1 break with and outstanding glove save.

"I felt comfortable," Bobrovsky said. "I felt good. I was able to read the game and read the plays. It's fun. We have a great atmosphere at the building. The fans keep us going. It's a pleasure to play for them and perform in front of them."
Off to a 3-0-0 start, Bobrovsky has stopped 102 of 108 shots for a .944 save percentage.

5. DUKE'S MILESTONE

Time flies when you're scoring goals.
By taking the ice against the Avalanche tonight, Anthony Duclair officially appeared in the 400th game of his NHL career. Originally selected by the Rangers in the third round (80th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft, the 26-year-old forward has spent 47 of those 400 games with the Cats.

Turning a one-year deal in 2020-21 to a three-year extension this past offseason, Duclair has been piling up the points ever since he arrived in South Florida. After racking up 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games last season, he's already netted three goals to kick off 2021-22.