Rats Roundup: Season Rewinds, Barkov A Lady Byng Finalist

Good morning and welcome to the latest edition of Rats Roundup!
Season Rewinds began, Aleksander Barkov was named a finalist for the Lady Byng and more! Sit back, relax and catch up on all the latest Panthers news!

Barky for Byng

Barkov's performance this season also propelled him to be named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy for the second consecutive season. The trophy is awarded to "the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability".
Not only did the Captain of the Cats found himself finish 10th in the NHL in point scoring, he set career-highs in games played, goals, assists, points, power-play goals (13), power-play points (31), faceoff win percentage (53.69), shooting percentage (17.0) and takeaways (100). The 6-foot-3, 213-pound native of Tampere, Finland is only the fourth Finnish-born NHL player to reach the 90-point mark in a single season, joining Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne and Olli Jokinen.
But perhaps the biggest reason Barkov was named a finalist for this award was that he logged the second-most total ice time per game among NHL forwards (1,833:01) and averaged the fourth-most ice time per game (22:21). Barkov posted 8 PIM and drew a total of 34 minor penalties against. His 8 PIM tied the second-fewest in a season of his NHL career (8, 2015-16).
The winner will be selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) at the conclusion of the regular season and will be announced during the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 19.
Good Luck Barky!

Be Kind, Please Rewind

This week, our annual season rewind series began as we looked back on the 2018-19 season for Henrik Borgstrom and Aleksander Barkov.
Borgstrom notched eight goals and 10 assists in 50 games during his rookie campaign, while placing a focus on the defensive side of his game. "I feel I'm way more reliable defensively," Borgstrom said shortly after earning his call-up on Dec. 15. "I think my positioning is way better. I'm very hungry with my stick all the time. Of course there's little things I can improve on, for sure. But the defensive side of the game is in my opinion the biggest part. I don't get knocked around or knocked down as easy as I did last year."
To read the full recap of Borgstrom's season, click HERE.

During the first year of his captaincy, Aleksander Barkov reached new heights, both personally and for the franchise.
Barkov set both a franchise record and career-best 96 points in the form of 35 goals and 61 assists. He established the new club record for points in a season by passing "The Russian Rocket" Pavel Bure.
To catch up on the full season rewind for Barkov, click HERE.

Territory Talk

It was a historic season for Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, as the two became the first pair of 90-point scorers in the same season. Both players joined this week's episode to discuss their record-breaking campaigns and, of course, the hiring of new head coach Joel Quenneville.
Listen below and head to
FloridaPanthers.com/TerritoryTalk
to listen to past episodes!

Quick Hitters

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Canadiens and Panthers to Face Off at 2019 Kraft Hockeyville Canada. 
- On Thursday, Frank Vatrano was named to the 2019 Team USA World Championship team.

• Brady Keeper had a special homecoming after getting his first taste of the NHL.

• Keith Yandle joined NBC Sports Network as a guest analyst during the playoffs!

• Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson learned to how to roll sushi at Etaru in Fort Lauderdale!

• Sign up for ROAR Corps auditions on June 22!
  Tweet from @ROARCorps: Winning Cats mean flying rats 🐀 Join us on June 22nd for auditions and you could be a part of the #FlaPanthers post game celebrations! For more information click the link in the bio! ������ pic.twitter.com/npTg1ofCl3
  - The Jason Taylor Foundation's fifth-annual Louder Than a Bomb Poetry festival was held at BB&T Center.

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The Panthers are more interested in playoffs than point totals after a tough season.