Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk speaks after logging a hat trick during Florida's 5-1 win in St. Louis on Jan. 9. The Florida Panthers flew home on Wednesday after completing their challenging, four-game western road trip with a perfect 4-0-0 record. Victories in Arizona, Las Vegas, Colorado and St. Louis have the Panthers suddenly holding the most road wins in the NHL. Florida is playing some very solid hockey of late, finding the balance between strong defensive structure and high-end offensive skills. Interestingly, while the Panthers are riding an impressive eight-game winning streak, many of the wins have come in different ways. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Tuesday, for example, saw Florida have to dig deep and require some lesser-known players to step up and help spark the club. Considering that depth is one of the Panthers biggest advantages, it didn’t prove to be an issue. Let’s get to the takeaways. Picking up a tough road win There are a plethora of reasons the Panthers knew that Tuesday night was going to be difficult. St. Louis is a very good team on home ice, Florida was at the end of a very difficult road trip, several players had been banged up along the way… Not that any of it mattered. Florida will finally return home on Wednesday, and they’ll enjoy a lot of home games and a light travel schedule during the second half of the season. They’ve earned it. “I think this is the one that we were most worried about,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said after Florida’s 5-1 win in St. Louis. “Their speed, and it's been a grueling trip. We've been on the road for 22 of the last 31 days, and to the west coast, and we've been all over the place.” Fourth line sparks Cats’ big night After being on the road for over a week and battling some of the best the west has to offer, Florida needed a spark to get things going on Tuesday in St. Louis. It was the Panthers fourth line that answered the call. Kevin Stenlund scored on a play that came directly after Jonah Gadjovich had been denied point blank by Blues goalie Joel Hofer off a great feed from Will Lockwood. The relentless shift was a perfect microcosm of how the line plays every time their numbers are called. “Why that was so important is the confidence for those three, and in this game, they had to play,” Maurice said. “We needed minutes out of them because we've run the other guy so hard that they had to be a difference for us, and they were. The guys were cheering for him. Fourth line goals are special, the guys on the bench love it.” Stolarz stands tall Before getting the nod on Tuesday in St. Louis, Anthony Stolarz hadn’t played in a game since Dec. 30, and before that, his previous start came on Dec. 18. Two games in 22 days is no easy task, but Stolarz has been the consummate pro as Florida’s backup goaltender. He won both of those starts, including Tuesday against the Blues, giving up only one goal in each. Stolarz came up particularly big for Florida in St. Louis during the first half of the game, keeping the score close while the Panthers found their legs. He finished the game with 29 saves, including 9 of the 10 high danger shots he faced. It’s safe to say that Florida probably wouldn’t have as positive of a night if not for Stolarz’s heroics during the first two periods. “It starts with our goaltender,” Maurice said. “Anthony was very, very good early in that game. They had a whole bunch of chances in tight that were very dangerous, and he just settled it. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Matthew Tkachuk caps impressive run with hometown hat trick in front of family, friends [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/matthew-tkachuk-caps-impressive-run-with-hometown-hat-trick-in-front-of-family-friends] Tkachuk, Panthers stay hot, wrap up road trip with 5-1 win in St. Louis [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/tkachuk-panthers-stay-hot-wrap-up-road-trip-with-5-1-win-in-st-louis] Panthers arrive in St. Louis looking to wrap up road trip with eighth straight win [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-arrive-in-st-louis-looking-to-wrap-up-road-trip-with-eighth-straight-win] Panthers take road trip detour, hold practice in Vail after relaxing day off [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-take-road-trip-detour-hold-practice-in-vail-after-relaxing-day-off] Sam Reinhart 'honored' to follow in father Paul's footsteps as NHL All-Star [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/sam-reinhart-honored-to-follow-in-father-pauls-footsteps-as-nhl-all-star] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
