Panthers' Aleksander Barkov: Offensive explosion in return

Barkov (lower body) returned to action Thursday with three goals and two assists in a 7-2 win over Montreal.

Well, now we know how to spell domination. It's B-A-R-K-O-V. He got all three goals in the first, including one on the power play; the third stood as the winner. Then Barkov got to work orchestrating action on the the power play, dishing to set up two goals by Matthew Tkachuk. Sure, it was against the porous Canadiens, but this is the kind of performance the Panthers need to kick-start a strong second half. Florida went 0-3-0 during Barkov's absence. Get him into your lineup and then pray he stays healthy because he's a force when he's on the ice.