Panthers goalie Spencer Knight speaks after Florida's 3-0 win over Anaheim on Jan. 18. The Florida Panthers picked up a strong victory as they began their latest road trip on Tuesday night. Facing the Anaheim Ducks for the second straight game, but this time in Southern California, the Panthers did well to stay with the program and ultimately skated to a 5-2 win. With Florida opening a four-game road trip against Anaheim, getting off on the right foot was crucial to carrying success through what should be a challenging week against some solid opponents. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] The Panthers have now won three of their past four and can try to build some momentum while out west. Let's get to Tuesday's takeaways: ODDLY DEVELOPING GAME It wasn't the best start for Florida against the Ducks. A couple early penalties and a power play goal against wasn't anywhere close to the desired response. Fortunately, this Panthers team is quite prone at working through adversity while not allowing it to torpedo their game, which felt like the case on a night where things just felt slightly off. "We gave up a (power play) goal to start the game, but that I thought we handled that really well," said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. "I liked that. But the game took some strange turns in the second period. You get a five-on-three, you don't score. It became a puck game, we didn't like that. I like the way that we made it 4-2, our forecheck was more like our game. I think we had 10 hits through the first two periods, that's not really like our game. Then I really liked our neutral zone defense in the third, we were hard up at the blue line in the neutral zone transition. Winning is never easy, winning on the road, especially." BALANCED SCORING Prior to their home-and-home with the Ducks, Florida had scored just three total goals in the two previous outings, a shootout win in New Jersey and a loss at home to Detroit. Obviously outscoring Anaheim 8-2 during their consecutive wins shows the Cats are moving past that, but look a little deeper. Florida played the same 18 skaters in both games. Only three of those 18 players failed to record at least a point during the two wins. And the eight goals scored by the Panthers…each one by a different player. "It's good because we haven't been scoring, and no matter what, players want to score goals, it makes you feel good," Maurice said. "So everybody that gets a point tonight gets to leave the rink with a win and a point, and you get a smile." CHEMISTRY GROWING UP TOP It's been a couple weeks since Maurice shook up Florida's forward lines and created a new top unit. Joining Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart up top was Matthew Tkachuk. Maurice has generally kept Barkov and Tkachuk on separate lines, and for much of last season Reinhart was also on a different line, keeping the talent spread across the lineup. With the trio skating together, they are getting a good amount of zone time and scoring chances are increasing, leading up the pretty passing play that led to Florida's opening goal on Tuesday. "They haven't played much together, and they're all three very, very bright men, really high hockey IQ," Maurice said. "They're finding each other, and the supports good, and I think it's interesting for them. For each one of them to play with two other players that can match their skill level, I think they have fun with it." LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers in Los Angeles to wrap up latest back-to-back set [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-in-los-angeles-to-wrap-up-latest-back-to-back-set] 5 different Panthers score in 5-2 route of Ducks in Anaheim [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/5-different-panthers-score-in-5-2-route-of-ducks-in-anaheim] Panthers open road trip in Anaheim feeling confident heading into latest back-to-back set [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-open-road-trip-in-anaheim-feeling-confident-heading-into-latest-back-to-back-set] Paul Maurice 'pretty excited' about progress of Aaron Ekblad as defenseman nears return from injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/paul-maurice-pretty-excited-about-progress-of-aaron-ekblad-as-defenseman-nears-return-from-injury] Panthers sing praises of Spencer Knight following goaltender’s shutout win [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/panthers-sing-praises-of-spencer-knight-following-goaltenders-shutout-win] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
