Jagr revitalized with young teammates
SUNRISE, Fla. — Jaromir Jagr isn’t the first to come to Florida seeking the Fountain of Youth.
If that was the motive, the ageless Czech not only seems revitalized by his move to the Florida Panthers, but youth has been served by his presence through instant chemistry with two linemates who weren’t even born when he started in the NHL.
Aleksander Barkov, 19, Jonathan Huberdeau, 21, and Jagr, 43, earned first, second and third star honors as they combined for five points in the Panthers’ 4-2 win over Winnipeg on Thursday.
Barkov scored the winning goal as the trio continued a run of dominant play since Jagr arrived in a trade with New Jersey on Feb. 28. It was his second goal in that stretch, while Huberdeau has seven points (two goals) in his past six games.
Jagr, while elevating their productivity, has five points in the five games he has played for the Panthers.
“The last two months those kids have played really well together,” Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Now they took another step since Jagr got here in the trade. And they feel confident. I think they have a chance to score every time they go on the ice.”
That appeared to be the case against the Jets as the trio created numerous scoring chances. Jagr nearly scored twice, just missing to the left of the net on one rush and later hitting the right post with a wide-open net.
