Hot take: the Florida Panthers’ 2-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks will be overshadowed by news surrounding owner Vincent Viola. Just a hunch.
Still, it was a pretty memorable night for the Panthers on the ice, too.
Jonathan Huberdeau showed why he’s been so sorely missed on Friday, scoring what ended up being the game-winning goal in his first game of the season.
Barkov on Huberdeau: "He was unbelievable tonight." pic.twitter.com/TnotrkqioJ
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) February 4, 2017
Friday ended up being an up-and-down experience for Reilly Smith. On one hand, he scored Florida’s first goal of the evening. On the other, Josh Manson delivered this huge hit on Smith, which didn’t draw a penalty:
At the moment, it seems like Smith is OK, so it ended up being a pretty positive night for the Panthers overall.