TAMPERE, Finland — In a thrilling return to his hometown, Florida Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov tallied one goal and provided three assists, leading his team to a 6-4 victory against the Dallas Stars on Friday night. The game featured an impressive display from Finnish athletes, with Barkov not only contributing significantly but also bringing teammates Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola into the spotlight; Lundell scored a goal, while Mikkola earned an assist. For the Stars, Esa Lindell was a standout, recording both a goal and an assist, showcasing the talent of all seven Finnish players on the ice from the start.
Florida’s Aaron Ekblad was instrumental as well, contributing three assists, helping the Panthers achieve their fourth consecutive win. Other scorers for the Panthers included Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich, while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves to secure the triumph. On the opposing side, the Stars saw goals from Tyler Seguin, Mavrik Bourque, and Jamie Benn. Support came from players Matt Duchene and Ilya Lyubushkin, who each provided two assists, and goalie Jake Oettinger, who faced 22 shots.
The match was marked by some unique pre-game antics as Florida’s players arrived donning robes and sandals, a fun nod to Finland’s penchant for sauna culture. These personalized robes were a thoughtful gesture from Bill Zito, president of hockey operations and general manager of the Panthers.
From the Stars’ perspective, the game started on a rocky note as they conceded a goal to Rodrigues just 28 seconds in, throwing their defense out of sync for the remainder of the game. The six goals they allowed tied an NHL record for a contest held outside North America, with the previous record set by Columbus when they also allowed six to Colorado in Tampere on November 4, 2022.
A noteworthy moment in the game saw Barkov become the sixth European player to score in his hometown during a regular-season matchup outside of North America. Barkov joins notable names like Patrik Laine, Tomas Hertl, and Niklas Kronwall, who achieved similar feats in their respective home cities.
In terms of statistics, Reinhart achieved a milestone with his third short-handed goal of the season, marking his ninth goal overall. This is particularly impressive considering that 11 teams had not managed to score a short-handed goal up to that point in the season. Additionally, since the beginning of last season Reinhart leads the NHL in both power-play goals (29) and short-handed goals (eight).
Looking ahead, both teams will clash once again in Tampere on Saturday, with the game officially counting as a home game for the Florida Panthers.