Following a 4-3 victory at Chicago on Jan. 21, the Panthers are cruising into the league's annual mid-season break on a season-high, six-game winning streak. A stretch that has allowed the club to climb all the way up into third place in the Atlantic Division with a solid 28-16-5 record.
Overall, the Cats have won 13 of their last 17 games.
"It was something we wanted to do and accomplish," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of his team's enviable position in the standings heading into the break. "Very pleased with how we're entering (the break). Let's enjoy it and then come back and think about the second half."
Not only have they been winning, they've been doing it in exciting fashion.
Averaging the most goals per game in the league (3.67), the Panthers have seemingly had a different hero on offense every single night. Boasting six different players with at least 15 goals, Evgenii Dadonov leads the way with a team-high 23, including scoring 11 in his last 15 games.
After Dadonov, three players are locked into a tie for second on the team in the goal-scoring department, as Noel Acciari, Mike Hoffman and Jonathan Huberdeau each have 18. Behind them, Aleksander Barkov and Brett Connolly have registered 16, while Frank Vatrano has 14.
In Chicago, Vatrano led the charge with his first hat trick of the season.
"It's always nice to be rewarded like that," said Vatrano, whose hat trick was already Florida's fourth this year. "I've said before that scoring one goal in this league is hard enough, so obviously a hat trick is a great honor. It obviously couldn't have been done without the other guys on the ice."
Of course, things are also improving at the other end of the ice as well.
Starting three games in four night after missing two games with a lower-body injury, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped a combined 88 of 96 shots (.917 save percentage) in wins over Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago to help the Panthers finish their road trip with a perfect 3-0-0 record.
Over his last 11 starts, the 31-year-old veteran goaltender has gone 8-3-0.
"It was an important game with the points in the bank," Bobrovsky said after turning aside 32 of 35 shots against the Blackhawks. "It will help us definitely. We have to have a good break now - reset, refocus, re-energize and get ready for the most important part of the season."
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…
