There's no shortage of potential culprits for the Florida Panthers' derailing this season, but it's safe to say Aleksander Barkov's lengthy absence was a key contributor.

The 21-year-old pivot broke out with a career campaign in 2015-16, posting 28 goals and 59 points through 66 contests. He started 2016-17 off fairly well too, putting 27 points on the board through the first 36 games.

That progress was stalled in late December, however, when a back injury forced the young forward out of the lineup, keeping him on the shelf for more than a month.

In early February, he returned. And he's had more than a slight impact.

Through 19 games since that Feb. 3 return, Barkov has paced the Panthers with 10 goals and 19 points. That impressive point-per-game pace has him on track to match his 2015-16 totals - a welcome change after his season seemed a write-off in late January.

With 12 games remaining on Florida's schedule, Barkov's scoring pace would have him amass six more goals and 12 more points before the season's end. Doing so would take his yearly totals to 25 goals and 58 points through 67 contests - just a shade below his impressive numbers from last season.

Given his recent play, it's fair to assume he'll hit those marks, perhaps even bumping it up a notch and reaching the 60-point plateau for a career high.

He certainly isn't slowing down. Barkov played the hero for Florida once again Friday night, first coming up with a dazzling one-timer to net his 19th goal of the season:

Then clinching the win in the shootout, adding his league-leading seventh shootout tally of the year:

The 2016-17 campaign has been one to forget for Florida. But while the club's playoff hopes continue to dwindle, its young leader has once again proven to be among the cream of the NHL's crop.

Barkov may have to settle for an early finish in 2016-17, and another campaign limiting him to fewer than 70 appearances, but the young Finn has proven once again he's the focal point upon which the Panthers' offensive hopes hinge.

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The New York Rangers have now lost six home games in a row, with their latest defeat at Madison Square Garden coming on Friday against the Florida Panthers - but don't blame Antti Raanta for the mounting losses.

Despite Aleksander Barkov going backhand shelf - the only goal Raanta gave up in a shootout that lifted the Panthers to a 4-3 win - the Rangers goaltender could actually be credited for New York getting a point out of the game at all. After goals by Mats Zuccarello and J.T. Miller in the first five minutes of the game, the Rangers all but went to sleep for two-plus periods. New York's lull allowed Florida to surge ahead before Zuccarello's second of the night - midway through the third period - sent the contest to overtime.

While Raanta took a third loss in four games - two by one goal - since taking over in net for the injured Henrik Lundqvist, his 34-save performance, including a breathtaking stop on Jonathan Huberdeau in overtime, illustrated why the Rangers have such confidence in a backup filling in for a legend.

"Every time he plays, he plays really well for us," Zuccarello told theScore. "He gives us a good chance to win. It's really nice to have him there. We have the same feeling when he's in goal as with Hank. It's safe and calm, and it's good to have goalies like that. I wouldn't say they have the same style, but they give us the same feeling, the calmness in the team that we know we have a good one back there."

How good? Raanta's .921 save percentage this season is eight points better than Lundqvist's and only five behind reigning Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby. Granted, Raanta has made only 22 starts, tying his career high, but you can only stop the shots you face. Raanta has done a good job of that, and given the Rangers the ability to avoid having to feel like they need to rush Lundqvist back, even if the Swede's recovery from a lower-body injury that was projected to keep him out two-to-three weeks is going better than expected.

Having previously backed up another star goalie, Corey Crawford, in Chicago, Raanta knows that no matter how well he plays, he will cede the starting duties as soon as Lundqvist is healthy. That won't change anything about the way he works, just as this run hasn't. It's part of that calm demeanor, but also the mindset necessary to succeed in a role in which there are only a handful of opportunities each season to make a real contribution on the ice.

"You always have to be ready," Raanta said. "If it's not your start, you still have to prepare yourself. You can't come to the games and just eat hot dogs and chill."

Raanta has one more year on his deal with the Rangers before reaching unrestricted free agency. He'll be 29 then - in his prime, but yet to be a full-time starter. It will be an interesting juncture in the Finn's career, having played admirably while mostly watching two of the best in the game - which is experience-building in its own way.

"You always try to watch different situations in the game and how they will do it, and sometimes you think how maybe I would do it a little differently or like that," Raanta said. "Crawford and Hank, both are really competitive. I remember Crawford was one of the best in the league to make the timely saves ... Hank, if you've been 10 years and every year 20 or more wins, he's doing something right - his work ethic is No. 1 in the league, probably, so I try to follow pretty much everywhere he goes and get that patience and challenge like he does, challenging always the shooters."

That was what Raanta did to stop Huberdeau on the two-on-one in overtime that gave the Rangers a chance to pull out a win Friday, even if his teammates ultimately failed. He'll get some more action before Lundqvist returns, and each time Raanta is in the crease, New York will remain confident, knowing that even with Lundqvist injured, there's still a steady presence there.

"He's just a happy-go-lucky guy that comes here, works real hard, and does the extra that a backup needs to do," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "He was here (on an off day) stretching, doing a little bit of extra. I like his attitude. I like his mindset. He comes here, he tries to get better, and in my estimation, he's certainly done that since he's been with our team."

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The Ottawa Senators host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in the opener of a home-and-home weekend set.

The video above explores which team could parlay those games into a major edge in its quest for Atlantic Division supremacy.

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Another day, another win for Brian Elliott.

The Calgary Flames netminder set a personal best in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars, notching his 10th straight win.

The veteran goaltender has experienced a resurgence after a slow start to his first season in Calgary. The Flames have rebounded in a big way in recent weeks, winning 13 of their past 15 to climb back into the playoff picture.

Calgary has been the hottest team since the start of February, putting together a 15-3-1 record for an NHL-best 31 points, with Elliott leading the way:

The Flames' next game comes Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings. Should Elliott get the game, and the win, he'd tie the franchise record for consecutive wins, which Mike Vernon set in 1988-89.

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Jaromir Jagr bested Gordie Howe, and now he wants to do it again.

The Florida Panthers forward joked that he had another record in his sights after passing "Mr. Hockey" on Friday night for the most points in NHL history after turning 40 with a pair of helpers in a win over the New York Rangers.

"I'm going to pass him for most points after 50," Jagr quipped postgame, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel.

Jagr collected his 268th and 269th points in 378 games since becoming a quadragenarian, padding his career total of 1,907 points in 1,699 contests.

Injuries to Roberto Luongo and Aaron Ekblad have put a dent in the Panthers' playoff hopes, but the 45-year-old Jagr - who once said he'd like to play until he's 50 - continues to defy Father Time in his 23rd NHL season.

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Kyle Palmieri's season has been a classic case of Jekyll and Hyde.

For the first half of the 2016-17 campaign, it didn't seem at all likely that the New Jersey Devils forward would replicate the 30-goal, 57-point effort that earned him a five-year extension last July.

Then came the second half.

Palmieri hit the 25-goal mark with a pair of markers in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night, notching a third straight multi-point game and his second multi-goal outing in the last three contests.

The 26-year-old winger has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise disastrous season for the Devils, leading the club in goals and points.

Palmieri has been on fire since the latter half of the 2016-17 campaign officially began.

It's been like an entirely new season for him compared to his first-half production.

It initially appeared as though the Devils' five-year commitment might have been a mistake, but Palmieri is now on pace to score about 29 goals and 56 points, which would all but equal his output from 2015-16.

New Jersey has lost 11 of its last 12 games, and the Devils sit dead last in the Eastern Conference, but at least they can take comfort in knowing a major part of their core has rediscovered his stellar form.

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Move over, No. 9.

Jaromir Jagr continued his remarkable assault on the record books Friday night, collecting a pair of assists against the New York Rangers to pass Gordie Howe for the most points in NHL history by a player after turning 40 years old, according to TSN.

Jagr picked up a primary assist on Jonathan Huberdeau's second-period goal and set up Aleksander Barkov's third-period marker to accomplish his latest milestone.

The 45-year-old forward has 1,907 points in 1,699 career regular-season games, ranking second on the NHL's all-time points list.

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The U.S. women's hockey team dismissed its governing body's latest claims in a pointed statement Friday night.

"USA Hockey has issued a press release with patently false information about the status of its negotiations with the players of the women's national hockey team," the players fired back, via TSN's Bob McKenzie.

"The players are disheartened by the response, which fails to distinguish between funds from the U.S. Olympic Committee and funds from USA Hockey."

Management released a long FAQ-style statement earlier Friday, detailing what it claims are the differences between what the players are asking for and what its providing.

U.S. team member Hilary Knight piled onto the players' official response, lobbing another shot at the governing body.

"There's a reason why we haven't won a(n Olympic) gold medal in 20 years," Knight told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "They need to step up. Who does USA Hockey aspire to be?"

Related: Hilary Knight tweets 3-letter word after USA Hockey's lengthy statement

The players' latest reply alleges USA Hockey only offers financial support during a six-month period surrounding the Olympics, and that the organization pays the players "virtually nothing" outside that time frame.

"Noticeably absent from USA Hockey's press release is a breakdown of what it has offered the players for its commitment during the 3.5 years out of the Olympic period," the latest retort reads. "The players encourage the public to seek clarity on this issue."

It also points out that USA Hockey disregards the non-Olympic period while expecting women's national team members to train on their own time and play in tournaments like the upcoming World Championship, which the players are threatening to boycott if significant progress in negotiations over wages doesn't occur.

Training camp for the upcoming tourney begins Tuesday, and the tournament opens March 31 in Plymouth, Mich.

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