5 Takeaways: Panthers Beat Canucks, Continue to Climb Standings

SUNRISE, Fla. -The Florida Panthers are moving up the standings in a hurry, sitting just six points out of a playoff spot after a big 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks at BB&T Center on Tuesday.
The Panthers (23-22-6) have won four consecutive games since returning from the All-Star break, needing just one more to match the season-long, five-game winning streak that lasted from Dec. 19-30.

After being 12 points back of a place in the postseason heading into the break, Florida now sits just six points behind Columbus for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.
"Some good things happened tonight," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "Our power play early was good… I didn't like us really in the last 10 minutes of the second period. I thought we got a little too fancy, freelanced a little bit. But we tightened it up in the third and played with a lot more structure and a lot more detail."
Aleksander Barkov scored the game-winning goal, slicing through Vancouver's defense before beating goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a backhand shot to put the Panthers up 2-1 at 16:08 of the second period.
The Panthers are now 15-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.
"It's in this locker room," Panthers forward Jamie McGinn said. "We have a good squad when we put it all together. It's our compete level. When we're ready to compete and we start on time we can beat anyone and play with anyone. We're just taking it one game at a time."
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's win in Sunrise…

1. IT'S HARRI'S NET

Earlier in the week, Boughner declared "It's Harri's net right now." And, after yet another stellar start, Harri Sateri doesn't appear to want to relinquish it anytime soon. The 28-year-old rookie stopped 26 of 27 shots against the Canucks on Tuesday night to to earn his fourth consecutive victory. With both starter Roberto Luongo and backup James Reimer sidelined with lower-body injuries, Sateri has been a nice surprise for the Panthers, going 4-0-0 with a .950 save percentage during his current undefeated streak. "It's fun to see him, how hard he's worked to get here," McGinn said. "It's just amazing what he's doing. I'm very happy for him." With Reimer returning to action as early as Friday and Luongo possibly not too far behind, Boughner said after the game that Sateri has earned the right to keep playing. "He deserves the net," Boughner said. "He's playing fantastic. I know the team's got a lot of trust in him. It's going to be a tough decision our coaches have to make, but those are always great decisions when you have that kind of depth."

2. McGINN GETS SOME HELP

McGinn got a little help on this one. With the Panthers on the power play, McGinn worked the puck into the crease, where it was accidently tipped into the net by Canucks defenseman Christopher Tanev, giving Florida an early 1-0 lead at 16:28 of the first period. The timely goal was McGinn's seventh of the season and second on the power play. "I'm just trying to drive it to the middle," McGinn said. "It's good to see it hit the back of the netting and help out the second [power play] unit. The 29-year-old winger now has 15 points (6-9-15) in 46 games this season, while also ranking fifth on the team in hits (75). With McGinn's score, Florida has also now notched three power play goals over its last three games, going 3-for-14 with the extra attacker during that span. "We've just got to get opportunities," McGinn said. "You're not going to score every time, but you want to make good plays and put it on net."

3. BOESER KEPT IN CHECK

Brock Boeser entered Tuesday night's game as Vancouver's leader in goals (25), points (46) and shots (147). After 60 minutes of play against the Panthers, those numbers remain mostly unchanged. The 20-year-old rookie registered just two shots and was a minus-2 in 20:30 of ice time against the Panthers, as Florida's defense and goaltending kept the All-Star MVP and Calder Trophy frontrunner in check throughout the night. "We played pretty well," Barkov said. "When they got their chances, Harri saved them and gave us a chance to win. We're happy with him." In terms of possession, the Panthers also made sure that Boeser spent a lot of time pinned in his own zone, outshooting the Canucks 21-10 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. Boeser's 32.26 CF% was the third-worst on Vancouver.

4. BARKY ON THE BACKHAND

Man, Sasha is slick. With the game tied at 1, Barkov took a pass at the blue line before splitting through Vancouver's defense and beating Markstrom with a nifty backhand shot to put the Panthers up 2-1 16:08 of the second period. The goal was Barkov's 17th of the season, but he'd also add another in the third period on an empty net, putting the top-line center in a three-way tie with Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck for the team lead with 18. "We do those small little things pretty well," Barkov said. "We play a good defensive game. Our goalie is standing on his head right now." Barkov, 22, has posted 47 points (18-29-47) in 50 games this season, including 14 points (7-7-14) over his last 13 contests. Entering the night leading all NHL forwards with 22:12 of ice time per game, Barkov skated a team-high 24:36 against Vancouver, earning ample time on both the power play (5:24) and penalty kill (0:53). "When I watch his game and see his game and watch what he does away from the puck, it's just as impressive as when he scores," Boughner said.

5. McCOSHEN SLOTS BACK IN

Ian McCoshen made a triumphant return to the lineup on Tuesday night after being a healthy scratch in each of the last nine games. The transition from the press box to the ice proved to be a smooth one, as the 22-year-old rookie came out hot and set the tone early, racking up a team-high three hits through the first 20 minutes of action. "I thought he was into the game early with some big bangs," Boughner said of McCoshen, who finished with 13:19 of ice time. "I thought that he moved the puck fairly well. It was good to see him back in there. He's been a good teammate and waiting to a while to get his chance." In his first NHL season, McCoshen has been splitting time on the blue line with fellow rookie MacKenzie Weegar. In 30 games, McCoshen has tallied three goals while also ranking third on the team in hits per game (1.9).