Panthers coach Bob Boughner said the line certainly did a lot of heavy lifting.
"Some of the plays they made in the first period, those guys, the three of them, Daddy and Huby, it was high-end," Boughner said. "Our team needed that today. We needed someone to put us on their back and carry us a little bit early, and that was Barky's line, for sure."
Of those 11 assists, a franchise-record five came from Barkov, who leads the team in scoring with 75 points (29 goals, 46 assists). Having already set a new-career high in goals this season, the 23-year-old needs just three more points to match the career-high 78 he posted last season.
Since Feb.17, Barkov leads the NHL in goals (10), assists (tied-12) and points (22).
"Of course it's a nice milestone," said Barkov said of his latest record. "I just give the puck to my own players, and they scored. I'm thankful for them. It's obviously a nice milestone for me."
Not far behind Barkov in terms of torridity is Huberdeau, who ranks second on the team with 72 points, including a team-leading 51 assists. With two more helpers, the 25-year-old winger will move into a tie with Viktor Kozlov for the most assists in a season in franchise history with 53.
That being said, the Panthers also received plenty of offensive contributions from their blue line against the Wild, as defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Mike Matheson each potted a pair of goals, marking the first time in franchise history that two blueliners scored twice in a contest.
"Obviously when we can help out, it helps the forwards out a lot," said Weegar, who has tallied a career-high three goals this season. "They can sort of play a little looser. Matty [Matheson], that's what he does. He can get up in the play pretty quick and put one behind you pretty fast."
In net, the Panthers also got a potential glimpse of their future, as 22-year-old rookie Samuel Montembeault stopped 25 of 27 shots against Minnesota for the first win of his NHL career.
"He was unreal," Barkov said. "Those two games he's been playing, it's unreal. His first year in the league, first two games, and it feels like he's been here forever. He's got some nice handles, too. The passes to our players, not every goalie can do that. We're really happy for him."
And although Boughner has yet to announce a starter for tonight's contest against Detroit, the second-year bench boss said after the game that Montembeault will see more time this season.
"I'm playing him," Boughner said emphatically. "He's a young guy. He's like the rest of those young guys in that room that deserve to play right now at this time of year."
As for the Red Wings (24-34-10), they should have some tired legs after suffering a 3-2 loss in Tampa on Saturday - the ninth defeat over their last 10 games. Making matters worse, they will also be without injured forward Dylan Larkin, who leads the team in goals (27) and points (62).
That's good news for the Panthers, who are 2-0-1 against Detroit this season, as Larkin had been quite a thorn in their side in all of those meetings, recording one goal and three assists.
"We didn't rise to the occasion tonight, not even close," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after the loss to the Lightning. "Too many guys weren't skating."
Florida has picked up at least a point in 10 of its last 13 games.
