NHL Rink Wrap: Avalanche clinch; Maple Leafs, Panthers put on a show

A night after Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and the Maple Leafs scored a ton against a contender (the Lightning), they did the same against another one (the Panthers). Marner even scored four points on two goals and two assists. This time, Matthews and Marner weren’t even the top players in their own game, as Jonathan Huberdeau and the Panthers beat the Maple Leafs to headline a busy Tuesday in the NHL.

Impressively, Huberdeau put an exclamation point on a five-point night by scoring an overtime game-winner. That was Huberdeau’s second goal, while he also collected three assists.

Apparently, it wasn’t enough for Huberdeau to set a new single-season scoring record for the Panthers (in his last game, he did so by reaching 97 points). Huberdeau also became the first Panthers player to break the 100-point barrier, finishing at 102 points in just 70 games.

(Aleksander Barkov is a distant second in Panthers scoring with 76 points, though injuries limited to 57 games played.)

The Panthers point out that Huberdeau is now at 600 points in 661 career regular-season games. The franchise also set a team record already at 104 standings points.

Once again, it’s @jonnyhuby11’s world and we’re just living in it. pic.twitter.com/k0Qcxxbcw4

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 6, 2022

When it comes to the Hart Trophy conversation, many will note that Huberdeau’s defensive deficiencies slip under the radar. People may have similar worries about the Panthers’ defense after allowing six Maple Leafs goals. But should we should totally disregard all of the good things in the process?

Truly, the Maple Leafs and Panthers provided an entire night’s worth of highlights in a single game:

Want some standout individual moments? Mitch Marner’s