Since Feb. 17, Barkov and Huberdeau rank first and second, respectively, in scoring in the NHL. In that 18-game span, Barkov has posted 15 goals and 34 points, while Huberdeau has notched 10 goals and 30 points. They have also combined for 112 shots and four game-winning goals.
"They do have that chemistry," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "They think the game the same way. Both of them are more willing to shoot the puck now more than I've seen in the last little while. If they have an opportunity and are looking at the goalie, they're going to shoot the puck. Maybe it wasn't like that a little while ago. They have confidence in their shots right now."
Barkov leads the Panthers with 87 points (34 goals 53 assists), needing eight more to surpass Hall of Famer Pavel Bure's franchise record for most points in a single season (94). A model of consistency, the 23-year-old center has registered at least one point in 17 of his last 18 games.
As for Huberdeau, the 25-year-old winger ranks second on the team in scoring with a career-high 82 points (23 goals, 59 assists). One of the top playmakers in the NHL, his 59 assists are not only tied for eighth in the NHL this season, but also stand as Florida's single-season record.
Barkov and Huberdeau are the first pair of Panthers to reach 80 points in the same season.
"We're just working hard and trying to keep things simple out there," Huberdeau said of his work with Barkov this season. "We're having fun. You want to have fun out there, and that's what we've been doing lately. The points are coming, obviously. It's not the season that we wanted to have as a team, but me and Barky are trying to do well offensively whenever we're out there."
In their last outing, Huberdeau registered three assists -- his team-leading 27th multi-point performance of the season -- and Barkov scored twice to lead Florida (33-29-12), which is sitting seven points out of a playoff spot, to a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.
Evgenii Dadonov, the third piece of that terrific top line, also chipped in two assists.
"We're both pretty similar players," Barkov said of his relationship with Huberdeau. "We like to pass the puck and we like to play with the puck. [Dadonov] is the same way. We're playing as three guys, passing the puck around, skating around and trying to have fun. At the same time, we're trying to do the right things on the ice, score goals and play good in the defensive zone."
The Bruins (45-20-9) enter tonight's matchup with wins in each of their last three games. In Thursday's 5-1 win over the Devils, Brad Marchand racked up three assists to reach the 90-point mark for the first time his career - the first Boston player to hit that mark since 2006-07.
Patrice Bergeron led the Bruins with two goals in New Jersey, giving the team its third 30-goal scorer this season, a list that includes fellow forwards David Pastrnak (32) and Marchand (31).
The last time the Panthers and Bruins met, Bergeron scored twice, including the game-winner with seven seconds remaining in regulation, to hand Florida a 4-3 loss in Boston on March. 7.
"We know what happened in their building the last game," Huberdeau said. "I thought we played a good game, but in the last two minutes they scored two. Obviously we didn't play the full 60 [minutes] that we wanted to play. But now we're confident. We're playing better hockey."
Boughner said playing the Bruins brings out the best in the Panthers.
"When you play these guys, you have to be ready when the puck drops," he said. "It's going to be intense. They're a heavy team. They play a certain way that sort of forces you to play that way, which is good. You hope to respond… Hopefully we'll have a little bit of a motivating factor. We still have a bad taste in our mouth about the way we lost the last game in Boston."
After backing up veteran Robert Luongo in Thursday's win against Arizona, rookie goaltender Sam Montembeault will be back in between the pipes for the Panthers tonight. The 22-year-old has looked sharp in first tour of the NHL, posting a 4-2-1 record with a .903 save percentage.
"He's been doing a lot of learning," Boughner said. "He's been watching a lot of game tape on opponents and working on things with [Panthers goaltending coach Robb Tallas] in practice. He's taking tips from Lou. It's not just going out there for 60 minutes. He's very eager to learn."
The Panthers own a 4-2-0 record over their last six games against the Bruins.
