Panthers Ride Luongo, Power Play to Win in Global Series Finale

HELSINKI -An eight-hour flight home just got a little bit better.
In their final game of the 2018 Global Series, the Florida Panthers rode their red-hot power play to a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Hartwall Arena, closing out an international back-to-back set between the two clubs in the hockey-hungry country of Finland. Winnipeg took the first game 4-2 on Thursday night.

Still, the Panthers (3-5-3) will return to South Florida on Saturday morning with two points in hand.
"It cuts the plane travel in half, getting a win," said Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo, who picked up his first victory of the season. "It would have been a long one if we would have gone home empty handed… We wanted to get the split. They're a good team on the other side. We knew that to win we'd have to have a special effort. I thought that everybody chipped in tonight. It was great."
After falling behind 2-1 in the first period, the Panthers scored two unanswered goals in the second, both coming on the man advantage on scores from Keith Yandle and Evgenii Dadonov. Add those to Mike Hoffman's tally in the first, and Florida's power play finished with a season-high three goals.
The Panthers are now 7-for-23 (30.4 percent) with the man advantage over their last five games.
"I think it was just a matter of time until we got two or three," Hoffman said of the power play. "We talked about that before the game. Our power play is going to have to win us a few games, and tonight was a good example."
For Panthers captain and Finland native Aleksander Barkov, the win capped off an unforgettable week.
"It was a good way to end the trip, on a win with confidence and two points," said Barkov, who had roughly 25 friends and family in the stands for both games. "Everybody in the room, they're happy. We all know if we continue to play like that and keep getting better, we're going to be good."
Here are five takeaways from Friday's win in Helsinki…

1. LUUU!

Out of the lineup since the season opener on Oct. 6 due to a knee injury, Luongo said the decision to make his long-awaited return on Friday night inevitably came down to himself rather than the team.
"They left it up to me," said Luongo, who had been penciled in to return during the team's homestand next week. "It was my call whether I wanted to start today or wait until next week. I wasn't quite sure earlier in the week, but the closer I got to today the better I felt… I'm glad that it worked out."

It certainly did work out, as the 39-year-old veteran stopped 32 of 34 shots to lead the Panthers to their first regulation win of the season. With the win, Luongo locked in his 472nd victory in the NHL, which is just 12 behind Ed Belfour for third place on the league's all-time wins list for goaltenders. After missing nine games, Luongo said he feels good going forward.
"It's never fun to be on the sideline watching the game," said Luongo, who is in his 19th NHL season. "The boys are going to war every night and you're not there for them."

2. HOFFMAN PROMOTED

A string of sustained success has earned Hoffman a promotion to the top line.
Already riding a red-hot eight-game point streak, the 28-year-old winger pushed that number to nine on Friday night, sniping a top-shelf goal over Hellebuyck's left shoulder to tie the game at 2 at 4:59 of the second period. The goal was Hoffman's fifth in his last six games - the most on the team in that span.

"It was a good team win," said Hoffman, who leads the Panthers with 42 shots on goal. "Obviously, you get a few nice bounces on a streak like that. You're going to need a little luck on their side. We're playing the right way, getting pucks on net, and we finally got rewarded here tonight."
Hoffman has long had the reputation as a power-play specialist, and he's continued to live up to that billing during his first season with Florida. He leads the team in power play goals (3) and points (tied-5), while those three goals with the extra attacker also place him in a tie for 11th overall in the league.
Moving forward, Hoffman feels he can continue to succeed with Barkov and Dadonov on the top line.
"They're very good players in this league and they play well together," said Hoffman, who has six goals and three assists on the season. "With me coming on there, I'm just trying to use my abilities -- my speed and shot -- and create opportunities in the O-zone."

3. DADONOV DOES IT AGAIN

Dadonov lit the lamp for the second time in as many games on Friday night.
With the Panthers trailing 1-0, Dadonov re-directed a Yandle shot from right below the blue line and in to make it a 1-1 game at 14:29 of the first period. The 29-year-old winger has now extended his point streak to a career-long eight games, registering five goals and four assists during that span.

After the game, Boughner compliment the execution of Florida's offense.
"I'm proud of the team answering the bell," Boughner said. "This is a real good hockey team we played here tonight. Even though I think we played a little better yesterday than we did tonight, I thought we executed better offensively."
Dadonov now leads the Panthers with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) through 11 games.

4. YANDS IS DA MAN

I know Yandle is an offensive defenseman, but this is getting ridiculous.
Yandle picked up two more points on Friday night, pushing his total to 12 on the season - the most among Florida's defenseman and tied for the sixth-most among NHL blueliners. As it was on Thursday, the 32-year-old cashed in on the power play, burying a slap shot to make it a 3-2 game with 26 seconds to go in the second period. The goal was not only his third of the season, but also his first game winner.

"It was amazing," Yandle said of the team's trip to Finland. "It's one of those things I'll never forget. The fans we're unbelievable. Meeting people in the streets, talking to people, it was just an amazing time. How friendly everybody is, it shouldn't surprise anyone. Any Finnish guy I've played with was an amazing guy. It was definitely a lot of fun."

5. THANK FRANK

Like Hoffman, Frank Vatrano also rewarded some confidence from the coaching staff with a goal.
Bumped up from the third to the second line on Friday night, Vatrano ice the game for the Panthers late in the third period, blasting home a wrist shot from the slot after a nice feed from Jonathan Huberdeau to extend the lead to 4-2 with 7:45 left in regulation. The goal was the 24-year-old's fourth of the year.

With Vatrano's goal, Yandle said the team enjoyed some welcome breathing room.
"It was unbelievable," Yandle said. "I can't remember how much time was on the clock, but you're counting down the minutes when it's coming down [to the wire], especially when you're up a goal. The play by Huby, and then Vatrano burying that, it was huge."
After playing in a slew of one-goal games season, Boughner said it was nice for one to finally turn in his team's favor.
"It was great," Boughner said. "I was happy with the way we protected the lead. I thought [the Jets] pressed hard. They shortened their bench; it's a back-to-back game. We did some good things when we were leading at 3-2, which allowed us to get to that fourth goal."