“It means the world to me, to be honest,” Barkov said. “It’s Athlete of the Year in Finland, the country where I was born, where I was raised and grew up watching national teams play and cheering for them. To get that honor, it’s huge for me. I’m really, really happy and really thankful to be able to get that award.”

Putting a cherry on top of an incredible year, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov took home “Athlete of the Year” honors at the Finnish Sports Gala in Helsinki on Thursday. Given out annually since 1947, Barkov is the first hockey player to ever win the prestigious award.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has made history as the first ice hockey player to be named Finland’s Athlete of the Year. The honour was announced at the Finnish Sports Gala in Helsinki on Thursday,

Lucas Raymond leads Detroit in scoring with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists), while Dylan Larkin sits in second with 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists). In addition to ranking third on the team in points (36), Alex DeBrincat paces the team with 19 goals, including eight on the power play.

It’s been quite a run for Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov. He won the Selke Trophy and became the first Finnish captain to hoist the Stanley Cup back in June, while also playing a pair of ...

Each of the Panthers’ past seven games has either been decided by one goal or was a one-goal game until the winning team scored on an empty net.

After trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Flyers scored all four goals in the second and third period to clinch their eighth third period comeback win of the season, the most in the NHL.

Special teams success was the key to victory for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. The Red Wings dominated on the power play, scoring three times on just four shots to take down the Florida Panthers 5-2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

BOTTOM LINE: The Florida Panthers take on the Anaheim Ducks in a non-conference matchup. Florida is 26-17-3 overall and 12-9-2 at home. The Panthers have allowed 142 goals while scoring 146 for a +4 scoring differential.

The Florida Panthers visit the Philadelphia Flyers after Sam Reinhart scored two goals in the Panthers' 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.

On Thursday, Barkov became the first hockey player to be named Finland’s Sportsman of the Year. The award is voted on annually by the Finnish Sports Journalists’ Association and has been given out since 1947.

The Florida Panthers are currently fighting for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. They sit second in the division, trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points with a record of 26-17-3.