Panthers finish off road trip on a winning note as prospect leads the way past Blackhawks

Just more than a week ago, Jayce Hawryluk was making a hockey living as the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate’s points leader.

But on Sunday night, the 22-year-old forward who was recalled from the Springfield Thunderbirds on Dec. 15, took on a starring role in the Panthers’ fourth win in their past five games.

Hawryluk scored his first career NHL goal and added a second and Mike Hoffman snapped a second-period tie with a power play goal as the Panthers skated past the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3.

The victory finished off a successful four-game road trip during which the Panthers finished with a 3-1 record to carry some momentum into their upcoming four-day Christmas break.

Hawryluk, a 2014 second-round draft pick, set the tone.

“It’s obviously nice to get that first NHL goal, right? But I’m just looking to try to help the team win games,” Hawryluk said. “I think we’re off to a good start here before the break and we’re looking to continue that right after.”

The Panthers broke the game open with three straight goals after Chicago used an Alex DeBrincat power play goal to knot the game at 2 in the second period. Hoffman scored the go-ahead goal with just more than three minutes remaining in the second period before Jared McCann extended the Panthers’ cushion just 31 seconds later.

Denis Malgin iced the victory with a goal off a McCann assist 59 seconds into the third period. Frank Vatrano added an empty net goal.

Playing on short rest following a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, the Panthers relied on their young blood to post the victory in Chicago.

“(In a) back-to-back game, the young guys have got to be our heartbeat,” defenseman Keith Yandle said. “They did it tonight…all the young guys took over tonight.”

Hawryluk, who scored seven goals and tallied 21 assists in 25 games at Springfield, broke a 1-1 tie early in the second period when the Panthers got off 14 shots on goal and scored three times.

James Reimer preserved the victory with 25 saves a night after Roberto Luongo was instrumental in the win in Detroit. Anchored by Reimer’s net presence, the Panthers broke the 2-2 deadlock while taking advantage of a power play on Hoffman’s goal, which came at the 16:49 mark of . Before the partisan home crowd settled in, McCann beat Ward to provide the Panthers the insurmountable advantage.

But until the Panthers scored the three unanswered goals that the Blackhawks finally responded to with a Dylan Strome with just more than 10 minutes to play, it was the recently called up Hawryluk who paced the Panthers.

Hawryluk scored his first goal of the season to draw the Panthers even at the 16:21 mark of the first period. The Panthers erased a one-goal deficit after Chicago’s Connor Murphy fired a shot that managed to slip past Reimer at the 13:23 mark of the first period before the Panthers caught fire in the second period.

Now, with his first NHL goal out of the way, Hawryluk will look to keep fitting in.

“Every game, he’s getting better,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “It’s real contagious the passion that he brings and the energy that he brings. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.”

This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 9:44 PM.