Quebecer Jonathan Huberdeau does not seem to have said his last word in the Hart Trophy race and he made it clear to the Toronto Maple Leafs in an emotional game on Tuesday.
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The Florida team showed why they sit atop the Atlantic Division, erasing a 5-1 deficit to eventually win 7-6 in overtime. As has often been the case since his debut in the National Hockey League in 2013, Huberdeau proved to be the man of the big chances by slicing the debate against the Leafs, crowning a night with two goals and three assists .
Also, with now 102 points on the clock, the former color holder of the Saint John Sea Dogs, in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, is among the logical candidates for the trophy rewarding the player par excellence of the Bettman circuit. Certainly, he is happy with his offensive successes, but he remains focused on the ultimate goal: victory and, of course, the Stanley Cup. But doing that will require tweaking a few aspects of the overall game.
“We can’t do that every game. It was fun and there was a lot of energy, except we have to play better defensively. We know we can score goals, but it won’t happen every time. We say that and it all happens. As the playoffs approach, it must not happen again, ”commented the veteran to the Panthers site regarding the generosity of his people in defense.
“Within this group, there is a lot of determination and the will to work. However, we know that [ne pas tomber en arrière dans les matchs] and we have to stop it,” confirmed head coach Andrew Brunette.
Win boring matches
Accustomed to much tighter play, former Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux knows that 13-goal games are extremely rare in the playoffs. He sees the offensive talent of the Panthers, who acquired him last month, but his teammates must learn to close the door to the best elements of the enemy. Otherwise, the series are likely to be disappointing at Sunrise.
“Really, we don’t make it easy for ourselves, admitted the Franco-Ontarian who scored his first goal with the Panthers on Tuesday. We find it difficult to play 60 minutes, but when we do, we can cause quite a bit of damage. It’s exciting to win games like this, but we have to find a way to win games that aren’t as exciting.”
A great season
Coming back to Huberdeau, he continues to wow the local crowd as well as his teammates. He claims four points less than Connor McDavid, leader of the race for the Art-Ross trophy. He is already guaranteed to end the campaign with his best career harvest and no one is complaining about it in the locker room.
“I think he was incredible, praised Aleksander Barkov. He led our club throughout the season. He didn’t take any evenings off. He’s solid every time he steps on the ice and it’s amazing to see how good he is.”