Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues speaks to the media following Florida's 2-1 shootout loss in Toronto on Nov. 28. When the Florida Panthers hit the road for their ongoing three-game road trip through eastern Canada, they were focused on turning a corner. Florida was fresh off consecutive home losses to Boston and Winnipeg, though the latter of the two defeats was far more frustrating. Speaking ahead of their flight to Ottawa on Sunday, the Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice and his players said they were approaching each game of the road trip as though they were playoff games. After two games in two nights against the Senators and Maple Leafs, Florida has to be pleased with its effort thus far. “I’m happy with our game,” Maurice said after Tuesday’s game in Toronto. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Whether going off the eye test or looking deeper into the analytics, its hard not to agree with Mo. Monday night the Panthers dominated Ottawa to the tune of a 5-0 drubbing. Tuesday in Toronto saw Florida again look like the better team at even strength but ultimately fall 2-1 in a shootout thanks to a standout effort by Toronto tendie Joseph Woll. If the Panthers play every night the way they have during their past two outings, they’ll end up in a very advantageous position once the dust settles on the regular season. “I think we're playing playoff hockey,” forward Evan Rodrigues said Tuesday. “We're not cheating the game. We're playing the right way.” Florida will have a day off on Wednesday before closing out their three games in four nights Canadian extravaganza on Thursday in a very hostile building in Montreal. The puck drops between the Panthers and Canadiens at 7 p.m. from Bell Centre. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Panthers penalty kill surging, team focused on sustaining success [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/three-takeaways-panthers-penalty-kill-surging-team-focused-on-sustaining-success] Goaltending shines as Panthers drop frustrating game to Toronto in a shootout [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/goaltending-shines-as-panthers-drop-frustrating-game-to-toronto-in-a-shootout] Ottawa's Zack MacEwen fined by NHL for going after Matthew Takchuk during Panthers 5-0 win [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/ottawas-zack-macewen-fined-by-nhl-for-going-after-matthew-takchuk-during-panthers-5-0-win] Panthers road trip continues with tough back-to-back matchup in Toronto [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-road-trip-continues-with-tough-back-to-back-matchup-in-toronto] Patrick Kane not signing with Panthers, elects to continue career in Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/patrick-kane-not-signing-with-panthers-elects-to-continue-career-in-detroit] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
