In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, Aleksander Barkov is scoring like never before, Mason Marchment fit well in his debut on the top line, and a look at Monday's practice lines.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -Already known for his exceptional defense and playmaking, it might be time to add "elite goal scorer" to the long list of terms used to describe Aleksander Barkov.
By lightning the lamp twice against the Oilers on Saturday, the Panthers captain increased his team-leading goal total to 25 this season. Doing all of that damage in just 40 games, his 1.85 goals per 60 minutes is not only a career-high, but is also the eighth-best mark in the league.
NOTEBOOK: Barkov keeps scoring; Marchment moves up
"He's got a crazy shot," forward Anthony Duclair said of Barkov's scoring acumen following Monday's practice at the Panthers IceDen. "We talk about his playmaking abilities, but he's such a big guy that when he puts his weight behind a shot he can beat any goalie in this league."
And he has.
Not picking on any one goaltender in particular, Barkov has touched twine against 18 different teams this season, including registering multiple goals against five of them. Carrying a hot stick since the puck dropped in October, he's also never gone more than four games without a goal.
Having hat consistency has helped his numbers, but opportunity has also played a role.
Playing in all situations for the Panthers, who lead the Atlantic Division at 35-13-5, nearly half of Barkov's goals this season have come on special teams. In addition to leading the team in goals on the power play with eight, he's also tied for first in the league in shorthanded goals with four.
While his Selke Trophy-winning defense always makes him a threat to score on the penalty kill, Barkov's uptick in production on the man advantage is worthy of a closer look. After all, his eight goals with the extra attacker are already good enough for his third-best total in a single season.
Interim head coach Andrew Brunette believes it comes down to two main factors: Barkov's new spot on within the team's top unit and sharing the ice with what he describes as the "one of the best passers in the league" in all-star Jonathan Huberdeau, who leads the NHL with 57 assists.
While perks of playing with Huberdeau, who has dished out 19 helpers on the power play, are a given, the impact of Barkov's new placement on the ice is certainly intriguing. Typically playing as the net-front presence or bumper on the man advantage, he's spending a lot more time this season working the elbows, which has freed him to let loose some more one-timers.
That change is reflected in his heat map over at MoneyPuck.com, which shows that, while the majority of his shots on the power play came from right around the blue paint in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, he's taking a lot more shots from near the bottom of the right circle this season.
Additionally, he's also getting more looks from the point.
"He's got some looks there on the power play," Brunette said the positional changes. "He's so dynamic. He's such a good player. I think those are the two things I've noticed. He's getting more pucks in those areas. … What else can you say about Barky? He's such an underrated player."
Humble as ever, Barkov simply credits his teammates.
"I think I'm playing with pretty good players," the superstar center smiled. "[Huberdeau], Duclair, Verhaeghe, Reinhart, those guys make me look good. We have great chemistry as a team, so it doesn't matter who you're playing with. You're going to get your chances."
Of course, fans of the Panthers have always known Barkov as steady contributor in the goal-scoring department. With his 206 goals standing as a franchise record, the 26-year-old has notched at least 20 in each of his last seven seasons, including a career-high 35 in 2018-19.
But now that he's looking like a future 40-goal scorer, the rest of the league is starting to take notice.
"It's good to see him score some goals and finally people are talking about it," Duclair said. "We as a team have known for years now, but he's the full package. He just does everything well."
MARCHMENT MOVES UP
Speaking of Barkov, he had some new company last game.
Moving up from the third to the first line, Mason Marchment fit in well alongside the captain and Carter Verhaeghe while unleashing five shots on goal over 18:54 of ice time against Edmonton.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, during the 9:49 the aforementioned trio spent together at 5-on-5, the Panthers led the Oilers 12-5 in shot attempts, 8-2 in shots on goal and 8-5 in scoring chances.
"I liked how he fit," Brunette said. "Marchy plays every game the same way."
Coming into his own in his second season since the Panthers picked him up in a trade with the Maple Leafs, Marchment has already set new career-highs in goals (11), assists (17) and points (28) in just 28 games - a torrid stretch that has included both a six-point game and a hat trick.
Using his 6-foot-4, 209-pound frame, the 26-year-old winger, like Verhaeghe, is also one of the best players on the team in terms of retrieving pucks and winning tough battles on the boards.
"He's tenacious," Brunette said. "He's relentless on pucks and unpredictable in different ways."
With Marchment still on that the top line on Monday, it looks like his audition will continue.
MONDAY'S PRACTICE LINES & PAIRINGS
With no practice on Tuesday, here's how the Panthers looked on Monday.
Forwards
Mason Marchment - Aleksander Barkov - Carter Verhaeghe
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Anthony Duclair
Frank Vatrano - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
Ryan Lomberg - Eetu Luostarinen - Patric Hornqvist
Maxim Mamin - Joe Thornton - Noel Acciari
Defensemen
MacKenize Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling - Radko Gudas
Lucas Carlsson / Olli Juolevi - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Jonas Johansson
