Reignite: Florida Panthers need Barkov, Huberdeau to come up big

When the Florida Panthers’ season came to its premature end, star players Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau were not exactly lighting up the scoresheet.

Although Huberdeau ended up leading the Panthers in scoring for their abbreviated 69-game season and Barkov finished second, it was not due to their final couple of weeks.

If the Florida Panthers are going to do anything in this NHL playoff tournament when it opens Saturday against the New York Islanders, Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau need to go back to scoring the way they have in the past — just not their most recent past.

Barkov’s numbers in the Florida Panthers’ final eight games: Two assists.

Huberdeau: One goal, one assist.

Florida’s record in those games: 3-3-2.

“Well, we need everyone but we need these guys to be top players,” coach Joel Quenneville said of his two offensive stars who combined for just 22 points in the final 20 games of the season.