Panthers goalie Spencer Knight speaks after Florida's 2-1 shootout win in New Jersey on Jan. 14. It’s been a tough stretch for the Florida Panthers lately. Between injuries, illnesses and their usual brutal travel schedule, the Panthers are struggling to find consistency as they attempt to work through their struggles. Wrapping up their latest road trip in a hostile environment against a very good team, there were plenty of reasons and excuses as to why Florida wasn’t going to win on Tuesday night in New Jersey. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] That’s what makes the win so vital for the Cats. This time, it’s about more than just the two points. Here are Tuesday’s takeaways: A NEEDED WIN Entering Tuesday’s game having lost six of nine, the Panthers needed some positivity. Having uncharacteristically blown a pair of leads the night before in Philadelphia, it was crucial for Florida to find a way back to their game. A grind-it-out, ‘2-1 filthy’ win should be just what the doctor ordered for the Panthers, something their coach recognized afterwards. “It's important to get the win tonight, and not on the on the game yesterday, but just where we are,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said. “I love that game. I love the game that we played tonight, on back-to-back nights, and it was hard. We contested just about everything up and down the ice, to every guy on the bench. You don't get a lot of these the season, those wins that help you cement your culture, and I loved that game tonight.” CATS SHOW SOME DISCIPLINE After Monday night’s loss in Philly, Maurice wasn’t shy about conveying his disgust for how many penalties his team had taken over the past couple games. Needless to say, it was no surprise to see them play an extremely clean game on Tuesday against the Devils. There were only three total power plays during the game, with two going to the home team. Considering one of those power plays came after a Matthew Tkachuk hit that wasn’t initially called a penalty started a scrum that led to Tkachuk somehow getting four minutes and New Jersey receiving a power play. Overall Maurice was happy with the way his team tightened up the penalty issue. “We only took one penalty, we got called for two, but we only took one,” Maurice said with a smile. “It was good. It was a hard game. It was reasonably physical, but very, very smart.” THIRD LINE STAYS HOT Another game, another goal for Florida’s new-look third line of Anton Lundell centering Carter Verhaeghe and Jesper Boqvist. While Maurice may have thrown his forward lines into a blender before Tuesday’s game, it didn’t take long for him to put the Lundell group back together. They rewarded him with Florida’s only non-shootout goal. “I think they draw some things out of each other,” Maurice said of the line. “(Boqvist) has got a little bite to his game, right? And he's on the puck. (Lundell) can play both sides of it. Carter has the speed and we know what he's capable of offensively, but I think the players around them make them better, make them true to who they are.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Strong outing by Spencer Knight helps Panthers to 2-1 shootout victory in New Jersey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/strong-outing-by-spencer-knight-helps-panthers-to-2-1-shootout-victory-in-new-jersey] Three takeaways: Penalty trouble, issues with inconsistency plaguing Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-penalty-trouble-issues-with-inconsistency-plaguing-panthers] Quick road back-to-back ends with tough challenge in New Jersey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/quick-road-back-to-back-ends-with-tough-challenge-in-new-jersey] Florida squanders pair of third period leads, fall in Philly 4-3 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/florida-squanders-pair-of-third-period-leads-fall-in-philly-4-3] Panthers kick off latest road trip in Philly against struggling Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-kick-off-latest-road-trip-in-philly-against-struggling-flyers] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
