5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 4, Sharks 3 (SO)

Thanks to some great goaltending and clutch goals, the Florida Panthers secured a 4-3 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday.
With the win, Florida improved to 6-4-1.
"It was a fun game," said Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 36 saves. "I thought the guys played well. It was one of those nights where it's kind of a goalie competition, especially in the overtime and shootout. I have fun in those games. It's a big two points for us."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. BARKY BURIES ONE

In need of a spark on special teams, this was exactly what the Panthers needed.
After earing a five-minute power play in the first period, Aleksander Barkov finished off a give-and-go with Anton Lundell by firing the puck past James Reimer - who had been pulled out of the net by the slick passing sequence - and into the exposed netting to make it 1-0 at 13:43.

"I like that it was a bit of a creative play," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of the pretty passing sequence. "Put it into the slot, but give it back to him. There's a lot of guys that have worked really hard here and haven't had a lot go for them at all, and a bunch of them had big nights."
Tied for second on the Panthers in scoring with nine points (two goals, seven assists), Barkov also shined in the faceoff circle against the Sharks. Taking a game-high 30 faceoffs, the former Selke Trophy winner went 21-for-30 in the dot for an outstanding 70% success rate.
Spending a lot of time in the circle this season, Barkov leads the NHL with 281 faceoff attempts.

2. A GUD GOAL

It's always nice to see a defenseman get rewarded.
Off to a great start in his own end, Radko Gudas netted his first goal of the season when he beat Reimer with a long one-timer to push Florida's lead to 2-0 at 15:50 of the sconed period.

Doing damage both on the ice and on the scoresheet, Gudas, the NHL's hit king in each of the two previous seasons, also led the Panthers with six hits against the Sharks.
Teaming up with a newcomer to form an incredibly potent defensive pairing this season, the Panthers have led 148-74 in shot attempts and 9-4 in goals at 5-on-5 when Gudas and Josh Mahura have been on the ice together, which equates to a team-best 66.67 CF% for the duo.

3. KARLSSON ON FIRE

If not for Erik Karlsson, the Panthers likely wouldn't have had to sweat so much.
Entering the matchup with nine points (six goals, three assists) over his last three games, the two-time Norris Trophy winner was involved in all three of San Jose's goals in the third period, including burying a long shot through traffic off of a faceoff win to make it 2-2 at 6:34.
A historic performance, Karlsson is just the second defenseman in NHL history to post three straight multi-goal games, matching Edmonton Oilers legend Paul Coffey's run from 1985-86.
"When I'm 50 years old I'll look back on it and I'll be happy about it," Karlsson said of the milestone.
Through 11 games, Karlsson ranks first among NHL defensemen in goals (10) and points (18).

4. SWAGGY STRIKES

Even a day later, I think we're all still wondering how Carter Verhaeghe threaded the needle here.
Identifying a microscopic corner of open net, Verhaeghe helped the Panthers get to overtime when he took a pass from Tkachuk and fired a shot over Reimer's shoulder and into the top of the cage to make it 3-3 with just 1:22 remaining on the clock in regulation.

"Swaggy with an unbelievable shot," Tkachuk said.
Finishing with a goal and an assist, Verhaeghe is now tied for first on the Panthers in goals (5) and second in points (9). Often finding success against the Sharks, the speedy sniper has recorded seven points (two goals, five assists) in five career meetings with San Jose.
Not just a goal-scorer, Verhaeghe also notched two blocks and three hits in the win.

5. GOALIE BATTLE

In a game that could've gotten out of hand, both goaltenders made sure it didn't.
While Bobrovsky turned aside 36 of 39 shots for Florida, Reimer stopped 41 of 44 shots for the Sharks.
In overtime, Reimer led 6-3 in saves, but it was Bobrovsky's robbery on Nico Sturm that really stole the show.
"The biggest impact was Sergei Bobrovsky," Maurice said. "That was the difference of our overtime."
In the shootout, Reimer ended up being the one to blink first as he was unable to get a glove on Sam Reinhart's backhander that sealed the win for Florida. Perfect in the other cage, Bobrovsky didn't let any rubber get past him on all four of San Jose's attempts.
Stopping every puck he could see clearly, Bobrovsky finished 15-for-15 on high-danger shots.
"It's unbelievable," Tkachuk said. "I think there was one shot in the second that was tipped by his blocker. I had an unbelievable view of it from the bench. It was one of the nicest reaction saves I've seen. We have so much confidence in him, and Knighter as well. He came up big."