For most of the final game of their post-break three-game road trip Sunday, the Florida Panthers did not play well. The Chicago Blackhawks, with the third worst record in the Western Conference, outshot them by eight in the opening period and ultimately held the Panthers’ league-best offense to just 25 shots on goal.
A month or two ago, this style of game could have been unwinnable for Florida, Andrew Brunette acknowledged. In the first few months of the season, his Panthers stumbled on the road because they couldn’t consistently win when opponents tried to craft a defensive struggle. It made their victory Sunday — a 5-2 win against the Blackhawks in Chicago — another encouraging step for the top team in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a good end to the road trip,” Brunette said after coaching Florida to a third road win in five days. “It wasn’t a pretty game, but we did enough.”
