Aleksander Barkov Has Quietly Hit a New Level Offensively
Aleksander Barkov is on arguably the hottest offensive streak of his career, ranking first in assists and fourth in points since the Florida Panthers returned from Finland on Nov. 7.
Aleksander Barkov may very well be playing the best offensive hockey of his career.
Ever since returning from a lower-body injury on Oct. 28, the Florida Panthers captain has soared off to a nine-game point streak. In that span, Barkov has three goals, 14 assists and 17 points.
He has recorded an assist in every game since returning to the lineup and is one game short of tying Jonathan Huberdeau (10 games) for the longest assist streak in franchise history.
Sam Reinhart, who is on the heels of an 11-game point streak of his own, has been on the receiving end of a lot of those passes, recording eight goals since his superstar linemate retuned to the lineup.
“They are two unbelievable players,” Gustav Forsling said. “They work really hard on and off the ice. I’m not surprised they have the point streaks and everything. They’re so very skilled and very humble. It’s so amazing.”
Reinhart has gotten the most press of the two — after all his 14 goals currently rank second in the league behind the ageless Alex Ovechkin and his 29 goals have him sitting four back of Nathan MacKinnon for the league-lead — but Barkov has quietly been just as dominant.
The Tampere, Finland native had a fire lit under him as the Panthers set off for his hometown for the NHL’s Global Series and he has not stopped since.
Barkov recorded a goal and an assist in his return the game prior to taking off for Finland before a dazzling performance where he totaled a goal and five points in the two-game set against the Dallas Stars.
From there, the two-time Selke Trophy-winner has rarely missed a beat on either side of the ice.
His nine assists since returning from Finland on Nov. 7 lead the league while his 10 points in that same span are tied for fifth with fellow Finn Mikko Rantanen for fifth.
Looking at the bigger picture, Barkov’s 18 points in 11 games have him on one of the best paces he has been on in his career.
Despite missing eight games with his injury, Barkov is currently tied for 37th in total points and sits fourth in the entire league in points-per game played (1.64). Had he not missed any time, Barkov would be on pace for a mammoth of a career-high of 134 points.
His current best point total is the 96 points he put up in 2021-22.
“It’s a treat playing with him,” Evan Rodrigues said. “He is just an extremely humble, elite superstar. He’s that guy that if he makes a mistake, which are very few and far in between, the first thing he does when he gets off the ice is apologize.
“It’s a little thing, but coming from a player at his level with his talent goes a long way.”
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