Evan Rodrigues tied a career-best with four points, Aleksander Barkov scored a goal off a crazy rebound to break a third-period tie and the Florida Panthers beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Patric Hornqvist was one of the last Florida Panthers players to leave the team’s locker room on Sunday, which surprises none of his teammates.

The Florida Panthers hit the ice for an early afternoon practice at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday, fresh off their 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets the night before.

Patric Hornqvist scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 31 shots and Florida beat the New York Islanders 3-1 Thursday night to give Paul Maurice a win in his first game as Panthers coach.

It's an exciting time around the NHL as the new league year is fast approaching.

Anthony Duclair added a goal and an assist for Florida in the win.

Mason Marchment had a goal and an assist for the Panthers.

Florida was bidding to become the first team in NHL history to start 12-0-0 at home.

Barkov went down during the second period after a knee-to-knee hit by Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield.

Florida has a four-game winless streak (0-2-2) since starting the season 10-0-1.

The loss dropped Florida to 10-1-1, which is still the best record in the NHL.

The Florida Panthers have matched the best 11-game start in NHL history.

The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut.

There used to be a thing called the Governor’s Cup, a trophy presented to whichever team won the annual regular season series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are happy but not satisfied after clinching a 15th straight playoff berth.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots as Florida took three of a possible four points during their two game set in Tampa.

Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers celebrates teammate Brett Connolly's goal against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on February 11, 2020. DALLAS – Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice in the first period and the Florida Panthers beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 after losing standout defenseman Aaron Ekblad to a serious leg injury. Ekblad was taken off on a stretcher midway through the second period after getting tangled up in the corner with Stars defenseman Esa Lindell following a hit from Lindell. Rookie Jason Robertson scored and Jake Oettinger had 19 saves for the Stars, who went 1-2-2 during a five-game homestand. He scored the winning goal in overtime Saturday night against the Stars.

Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers blocks a shot by Max Domi of the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on January 26, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sergei Bobrovsky made 38 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2. Patric Hornqvist and Owen Tippett had power-play goals in the second period for the Panthers, and Juho Lammikko and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida, which has won three of four. Michael Del Zotto and Oliver Bjorkstrand had goals for the Blue Jackets, and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 shots. Columbus has lost five of seven.

Patric Hornqvist of the Florida Panthers skates against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the BB&T Center on February 13, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. “It’s hard when you have six, seven, eight new players,” Hornqvist said in late January. They are two great players, they’re smart players and they’re pass-first guys. That’s what separates the really good players from the good players. The Florida Panthers really took care of me and my family from the first day.

Patric Hornqvist #70 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his second goal of the game in the third period with teammates while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on February 19, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. DETROIT – Patric Hornqvist scored in the first and third periods to help the Florida Panthers start and finish strong in a 7-2 victory over the the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. Juho Lammikko and MacKenzie Weegar had goals on consecutive shots in the opening period and Hornqvist made it 3-0 in a four-shot stretch that doomed Detroit’s team that is averaging an NHL-low 1.9 goals a game. Florida’s Chris Driedger made 30 saves, including a spectacular stop to deny Darren Helm from scoring in the second period. The Central Division-leading Panthers matched a season high with three straight victories, giving them an 11-2-2 record through 15 games.

Patric Hornqvist of the Florida Panthers is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the game winning goal in the shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on January 26, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. TAMPA, Fla. – Jonathan Huberdeau scored and led a balanced attack that included goals from six players, and the Florida Panthers gained on Central Division-leading Tampa Bay with a 6-4 victory over the Lightning. Aleksander Barkov, Anton Stralman, Owen Tipppett, Anthony Duclair and Frank Vatrano also scored for Florida, which recorded its first win in Tampa Bay since March 26. Chris Driedger finished with 27 saves for the Panthers, improving his record to 4-1-1. Alex Volkov scored twice for Tampa Bay, which had its six-game home winning streak halted.

Jonathan Huberdeau congratulates Patric Hornqvist of the Florida Panthers after he scored a third period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – Aaron Ekblad and Alex Wennberg each had a goal and an assist and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 on Thursday night. Braden Point scored twice for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves. The Lighting had won six straight, averaging 4.5 goals per game during the win streak. The teams will meet again Saturday night in Sunrise and Monday night in Tampa.

Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers looks on against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at BB&T Center on February 27, 2020. SUNRISE, Fla. – Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves, and Patric Hornqvist was credited with the eventual winning goal when a shot bounced off his shoulder and into the net as the Florida Panthers beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1. Alex Wennberg also scored for the Panthers, the second consecutive game with a goal for the former first round pick. Hornqvist was credited with a power-play goal, his sixth goal of the season, when a shot by Aaron Ekblad deflected off his shoulder and over the head of Thomas Greiss at 8:04 of the second period. Filip Zadina scored for the Red Wings.

Alexandre Texier #42 of the Columbus Blue Jackets beats Chris Driedger #60 of the Florida Panthers for the game winning goal in the shootout at Nationwide Arena on January 28, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. COLUMBUS, Ohio – Alexandre Texier slickly beat Chris Driedger five-hole in the fourth round of a shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Florida Panthers 3-2. Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins sealed it by denying Patric Hornqvist, who scored the winning goal in a shootout between the teams Tuesday night. Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen tied it in the third period, and Carter Verhaeghe also had a goal for the Panthers. The Blue Jackets will remain in Columbus, where they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

Patric Hornqvist of the Florida Panthers beats Joonas Korpisalo of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the shootout to win the game at Nationwide Arena on January 26, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Florida Panthers played just their third game of the season Tuesday, but the team has made the most of its limited opportunities. “This was a huge win for us,” Hornqvist said postgame. “It’s always fun to score big goals and help the team win,” Hornqvist said. “He’s been huge for us so far, and will be huge for us the whole season,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said of Hornqvist.

DeSmith figured Ovechkin would try to fire one past him rather than deke his way to the net. DeSmith stayed upright as Ovechkin closed in and felt the familiar smack of rubber hitting him and not the net. “I thought our guys played hard in the second and third against a really good team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. While Sullivan remains confident Jarry will be fine, he turned to DeSmith to help get Pittsburgh going. Washington went 1 for 4 on the power play, a tap-in goal by Backstrom in the second that gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead.

SUNRISE, Fla. – As the dust settles following several weeks of trades and free agency signings around the NHL, one thing is apparent in Sunrise; the Florida Panthers have a big vacancy to fill. Who is going to take Evgenii Dadonov’s spot on the Panthers top line? For the past three seasons, nobody has been on the ice with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau more often than Dadonov. Getting back to the Panthers, Dadonov turned out to be the right fit for Huberdeau and Barkov, and the line thrived as a result. It’s also worth noting that Vatrano has been given looks with Huberdeau and Barkov before, and he did very little with the opportunity.

Rewind to 2019 and early 2020 and that description fits the Tampa Bay Lightning, who added some grit and toughness to their talented core and went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Lightning effect was clear as soon as NHL free agency opened. “You need guys that are going to have a little bit of sandpaper. “We maybe have taken a little bit of a step back from the most skillful lineup we’ve ever had to more of a balance between the will and the skill," Poile said. We certainly have a little bit more physicality, a little bit more grit and I think it’s probably and hopefully a better mix than we had last year.”___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

FILE - In this June 15, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks' goalie Corey Crawford kisses the Stanley Cup Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Chicago. The past few weeks have seen several recent Stanley Cup winners get rid of members of their championship core. The Blackhawks moved on from Corey Crawford, the Washington Capitals did the same with Braden Holtby, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded fellow goalie Matt Murray and forward Patric Hornqvist and the St. Louis Blues signing Torey Krug means captain Alex Pietrangelo will sign elsewhere. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - In this June 15, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks' goalie Corey Crawford kisses the Stanley Cup Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Chicago. The past few weeks have seen several recent Stanley Cup winners get rid of members of their championship core. Hornqvist was “blindsided” the Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to trade him. The past several weeks have featured several recent Stanley Cup winners breaking up their championship core by saying goodbye to a key player with his name on the trophy. The agitating, go-to-the-net winger helped Pittsburgh win the Cup in 2016 and 2017.

On Episode 24 of the Chirping the Cats podcast, we hear from the newest member of the Florida Panthers, forward Patric Hornqvist. He discusses what the trade process was like, his feelings about leaving Pittsburgh, why he’s excited about coming to Florida and what helped convince him to approve the trade. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CTC PODCAST - iOS | Android

PITTSBURGH – When the dust finally settled on the trade that brought Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers, feelings of relief and excitement washed over the two-time Stanley Cup champion. Having the decision ultimately in his hands, it wasn’t easy for Hornqvist to envision leaving Pittsburgh. “As a family man, my family all started there,” Hornqvist explained. During an important discussion between the two earlier this week, Zito did a great job selling Hornqvist on what the Panthers are building and where he can fit in. With the Penguins, Hornqvist was someone who motivated his teammates by how hard he worked on the ice and his passion and engagement off the ice.

According to NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes, the Panthers are trading defenseman Mike Matheson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist has split his career evenly between Nashville, which drafted him, and Pittsburgh, where he’s excelled during the past six seasons. Patric Hornqvist of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 11, 2018. Over the past seven seasons, Hornqvist has scored 22, 25, 22, 21, 29, 18 and 17 goals, respectively. Hornqvist has played in 770 NHL games with Nashville and Pittsburgh, accumulating 480 points (238-242-480), 149 of which have come on the power play.