5 Takeaways: Panthers erase deficit, pick up 'big points' against Yotes

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Florida Panthers would not be denied.
After shaking off a sluggish start, the Panthers scored four unanswered goals in a wild third period to come from behind and claim a pivotal 4-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes at BB&T Center on Saturday night.

Vincent Trocheck scored twice, while Jamie McGinn and Denis Malgin each also found the back of the net in an incredible third period for the Panthers, who after being out-shot 13-9 in the first period, finished the game with a 47-28 advantage.
"We didn't look like we had any legs in the third period and we were all sort of looking around and looking for an answer," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "You come off a road trip for a week, and you have a day off yesterday. We just didn't have a lot of energy. We almost needed something to get us going.
"I thought we got better as the game went on. We talked in between periods about not letting these home points slip away and desperation and urgency and compete and all those things. We switched some lines up to try and get going. We kept grinding."
With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Panthers trail the New Jersey Devils by three points for the final wild card spot into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.
"These are big points tonight," McGinn said.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday's win in Sunrise…

1. TWO FOR TROCHECK

Trocheck played the role of hero for the Panthers on Saturday night, scoring his 29th and 30th goals of the season in rapid succession to spark Florida's impressive comeback in the third period.
After converting on a sharp-angle shot from just below the right circle to make it a 2-1 game at 6:13 of the final period, Trocheck wasted no time in getting another, crashing the crease and slipping the puck through Darcy Kuemper's pads to tie the game at 2 just 3:20 later.
"We needed someone to step up," Boughner said. "We needed one of our big guys. For Troch to get his 30th there, I think is a statement… That's what he's done all year. I call him the engine of the team. When he's going, we're going."
Trocheck, 24, is just the third Panther to reach the 30-goal mark since the 2008-09 season, joining Jonathan Marchessault (30, 2016-17) and David Booth (30, 2008-09). Already the team leader in goals, he also ranks second in points (69).
"I never thought that I'd get to the point where I was scoring 10 goals in a season let alone 30 goals," Trocheck said. "It's obviously exciting, but even more exciting when it's in a game like that."

2. YANDLE HITS 50

With an assist on Trocheck's first goal of the night, Keith Yandle hit a very rare milestone, reaching the 50-point plateau for the third time in his career and first since the 2013-14 season.
At 31, Yandle paces Florida's defensemen in points (50) and assists (43), while also leading the club in total ice time (1792:21). Among NHL blueliners, his 50 points are tied for 12th, while his 43 assists rank tied for sixth.
A steady hand on the blue line, Yandle's point production has directly correlated to the Panthers' rise up the standings, as his 25 points (2-22-25) rank third on the team during a 26-game stretch since the All-Star break.

3. MAGIC MOMENT FOR MALGIN

Malgin broke out of a nine-game goal drought in a big way on Saturday night, fighting for a loose puck in the slot before beating Kuemper to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead with 3:45 remaining in regulation.
The goal, which held up as the game-winner, was Malgin's 11th of the season, but just his first since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for almost three weeks. He now has four game-winning goals in his career.
"It's always nice to score," Malgin said. "If it's a game-winning goal it's nice, but the most important thing is that we won this game. It's huge for us and the playoffs."
In the midst of his second NHL season, Malgin, a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft, has already set new career highs in goals (11), points (19) and is one game shy of matching the career-high 47 games he played as a rookie in 2016-17.
"We have a few games left and every game is important," Malgin said. "We're just going to push until the end."

4. McGINN SHINES

After beginning the night on the fourth line, McGinn found himself playing big, important minutes on Saturday night, as Boughner promoted the 6-foot-1, 205-pound winger to the second line in hopes of providing the Panthers with a much stronger net-front presence.
The gamble almost immediately paid off, as McGinn not only notched an assist on Trocheck's first goal of the game, but also created the chaos in the crease that led to the game-tying goal in the third period.
"Putting Ginner up there worked because that's what Ginner does the best," Boughner said. "He's a big body and he plays in the trenches. In my mind, he was our first star."
With time winding down in the game, McGinn was rewarded by Aleksander Barkov for his big night. With Arizona's goaltender pulled and the Panthers on the power play, Barkov passed on free goal and instead gave the puck to McGinn, who cashed in on the empty net for his 12th goal of the season.
"I knew I had to be ready," McGinn said of Barkov's pass. "That guy is the most unselfish person I've ever met. He's a great human being and I can't say enough about him. I figured he was going to do that."

5. PANTHER CONSERVATION NIGHT

In an effort to raise awareness and promote conservation efforts for an animal they consider to be far more than a mascot, the Panthers celebrated their third-annual Panther Conservation Night on Saturday night.
The Florida panther -- the state's official animal since 1987 - is unfortunately one of the most endangered mammals in the world, with just an estimated 150 to 200 living in the wild as of 2017.
With educational tables spread throughout the arena, fans were able to not only learn about the endangered animal, but also discover simple things they can do in their own lives to help the Florida panther continue its comeback.
"We think that raising awareness for the Florida panther, looking at the panther and understanding the plight of the panther is really important," said Lauren Simone, the Executive Director of the Florida Panthers Foundation. "This evening is just an opportunity for us to raise awareness among our fans, teach them about what's going on with the panther and hopefully they can share that information so that we can help make a small difference in conservation efforts."
To learn about how the Panthers are helping their feline counterpart, click HERE.