Claude Giroux Watch: Former Flyers captain, Panthers keep rolling

Claude Giroux and the Florida Panthers keep rolling along.

The Panthers overcame a 5-1 deficit and rallied past visiting Toronto in overtime Tuesday, 7-6.

Giroux, the former long-time Philadelphia Flyers captain, was in the middle of things.

Again.

Giroux, 34, had his first goal with Florida and another assist. He has nine points in eight games with the Panthers (49-15-6) since they acquired last month in a mega-package in which the Flyers (22-37-11) received Owen Tippett and first- and third-round draft choices.

“My teammates were doing a good job of reminding me I didn’t have a goal yet,” a smiling Giroux told reporters. “So it’s nice to be able to get a goal and help the team have a comeback like we did.”

The Panthers are 7-1 with Giroux in the lineup. Overall, he has 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games this season.

Giroux and Jonathan Huberdeau (five points) each had a team-high seven shots on goal. Giroux had two hits in 21:03 of ice time, and was 9 for 18 in the faceoff circle.

Another huge comeback

It marked the second time in four days that Florida had won a game after trailing by four goals. The Panthers did it Saturday against New Jersey, winning 7-6, in OT.

“It’s exciting to come back again,” said Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov, who had a goal and three assists. “But we’ve got to work so we’re not down 5-1 or 6-2. We’ve got to figure out how to manage the game the right way.”

With the latest comeback victory, the Panthers increased their lead over second-place Toronto to eight points in the Atlantic Division race.

Oddity: Florida and the Flyers both had 49 shots Tuesday. Florida scored seven goals, the Flyers managed two in their 4-2 loss to Columbus.

Florida has finishers. The Flyers don’t.

The Panthers have 104 points (.743 winning percentage) and are aiming for their first Stanley Cup. The Philadelphia Flyers, who haven’t won a Cup since 1975, have 55 points and a .393 winning percentage.