‘We did it together’: Huberdeau gives credit to Barkov after breaking his Panthers record
After nearly a decade of trying to transform the Florida Panthers into a powerhouse, Jonathan Huberdeau finally sat at the top of the franchise’s single-season points leaderboard at the second intermission Sunday and still he wasn’t ready to revel in the individual accomplishment.
His second-period goal in Florida’s 5-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres gave him his 97th point of the season to surpass Aleksander Barkov’s previous single-season record of 96, set in 2019, and Huberdeau — fittingly, given his pass-first style of play — wanted to share the credit with the teammate whose record he eclipsed.
“I didn’t really want to,” the All-Star left wing told Bally Sports Florida before the third period Sunday. “We did it together.”
It’s an easy thing — and probably the right thing — to say. They have been teammates through 2013 and suffered through four losing seasons in their first six years together before the Panthers finally turned into a perennial postseason fixture in 2020. They have each rewritten large chunks of Florida’s record books as the all-time top two goal scorers in franchise history, the all-time top two assists leaders and the all-time top two point compilers.
It’s also easy to say because it’s true. No one has assisted on more of Huberdeau’s goals this season than Barkov, and no one has been the recipient of more of Huberdeau’s assists, either.
“I’m just lucky to be his teammate and to play with him,” Barkov said Sunday, “and see him do his thing.”
In some order, Huberdeau and Barkov are the Panthers’ two best players, and the two best players in the team’s history. This year, Huberdeau went to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game and set the NHL’s single-season record for assists by a left wing, while Barkov battled injuries in the first half of the season, and has had to instead just settle for leading the team in goals and wins above replacement, according to TopDownHockey. Last year, Barkov won the Frank J. Selke Trophy and finished sixth in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, while Huberdeau had to just settle for making the postseason NHL All-Star team.
Together, they have turned Florida (48-15-6) into a no-doubt Stanley Cup contender and made one another better, even though they’re no longer regular linemates.
To get to 97 points, Huberdeau has scored 26 goals and dished out a league-leading 71 assists.
Of those 26 goals, six have been assisted by Barkov — the most of any player. Of those 71 assists, 19 have teed up the star center — also the most of any player and no one else has been the recipient of more than 12.
In all, Barkov has been involved in more than a quarter of Huberdeau’s points this season.
To tie Barkov’s old record of 96 points Saturday, Huberdeau helped set up the captain twice in the final five minutes to complete Florida’s incredible four-goal comeback against the New Jersey Devils. With Florida’s net empty and an extra skater on the ice, Huberdeau provided the secondary assist on both of Barkov’s late goals, including the game-tying goal with 1:24 left.
“He deserves it the way he’s been playing and couldn’t happen to a better guy,” Barkov said. “We still have a lot of games left, so it’s going to be fun to see where he’s going to end up.”
At his current clip, Huberdeau is on pace for more than 115 points and he has a chance to become the Panthers’ first 100-point scorer as soon as Tuesday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs (44-19-5) at 7 p.m. at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise.
Whatever mark he winds up setting, Huberdeau will raise the bar to new heights for the franchise and Barkov, who also ranks in the top 10 in the NHL in points per game and is on a 105-point pace across a full 82 games, will get his shot to try to best him next year.
Maybe he won’t care, though. Andrew Brunette said he has never seen any sort of friendly competition between the two. They’re more concerned with just making the other one better.
“They’re genuinely content,” the interim coach said Sunday. “They know they’re both great players and they’re very content when the other has success. I think they’ve grown as leaders and there’s bigger fishes to fry here coming in, and personal accolades are nice, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead.”
