ANTON LUNDELL

Nearly a month has passed since the Florida Panthers season ended in a very abrupt and shocking manner.

Joe Thornton’s career may be over.

Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and the Florida Panthers topped the Washington Capitals 5-1 on Thursday night to even their Eastern Conference first-round series at a game apiece.

Episode 51 of the Chirping the Cats podcast highlights a handful of important topics as the Panthers prepare for what they hope is a long run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Mason Marchment, Anthony Duclair and Lundell scored in the first period as the home side built a commanding 3-1 lead.

On Tuesday the NHL named Anton Lundell the Rookie of the Month and Jonathan Huberdeau First Star of the Month for January.

Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett also scored for the Panthers.

Chychrun is only 23 years old, but he is already viewed among the best young players in the league at his position.

Anthony Duclair, Ryan Lomberg and Lucas Carlsson each scored for Florida while teammate Patric Hownqvist added a pair of tallies.

Anthony Duclair scored twice, Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and four assists, and the Florida Panthers romped to a 9-3 rout of the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell scored in the shootout, and the Florida Panthers continued their string of comebacks by rallying from three one-goal deficits to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3.

The Panthers scored at least four goals for the 11th time this season.

Officially, Barkov is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Head Coach Joel Quenneville led a spirited practice on Monday, one that saw the team switch rinks two separate times in order to work on a clean sheet of ice as much as possible.

Lundell joined the Panthers during a team practice at the Ice Den in Coral Springs on Monday, skating on a line with Joe Thornton and Maxim Mamin, both of whom were also returning from minor injuries.

Lundell, who will turn 20 in early October, is expected to take part in the Panthers training camp later this summer and compete for a spot on the Opening Night roster.

Florida and new general manager Bill Zito can only hope this year’s pick will someday compare to the Panthers' selection of Sasha Barkov in 2013. Tuesday night, Zito used the 12th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft on 19-year-old Anton Lundell from Espoo, Finland. In 85 games with HIFK over the past three seasons, Lundell has 49 points (20-29-49) and a plus-16 rating. At the conclusion of the season we’ll evaluate and see where he is.”Helsinki’s final regular season game is scheduled for March 30. Here is what he had to say:What does it feel like being drafted into the NHL by the Florida Panthers?