Florida Panthers make an incredible statement vs Colorado

Florida needed a response after Friday's Winter Classic flop, and it got one with a 2-1 home win. Colorado came in with only two regulation losses, and left with a third.

Daniil Tarasov looked locked in from the first whistle, swallowing rebounds and letting his defense clear bodies. He turned aside everything but one shot, and the building exhaled every time he froze it.

Sam Bennett opened the scoring on a solid effort, the kind you see from a guy playing angry. He was left off Team Canada's latest list, so you could feel the edge in that finish.

With Seth Jones injury, the blue line reshuffled on the fly, and Uvis Balinskis had to chew bigger minutes. Paul Maurice didn't panic, he rolled pairs, kept shifts short, and made sure forwards always had a first pass.

If you've watched this team without Matthew Tkachuk lately, you know how much bite has been missing.

Aaron Ekblad, 2014's first overall pick, snapped the game-winner late in the second. At 29, he's seen every kind of night, and he still has that calm-shot gene when Florida needs it.

Paul Maurice kept the matchups simple, protect the slot, live with outside looks, and trust the clears. Florida's gaps were tight through the neutral zone, and Colorado rarely got clean speed into the middle.

That's the part I loved, the Panthers didn't chase revenge, they just played grown-up hockey. After the 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday, a win like this resets the vibe.

Now comes the grind, a six-game trip starts Tuesday in Toronto, and Tkachuk says he's getting closer. A win over the league's top wagon is the kind of banked confidence you want in your carry-on.

The Panthers won because they defended with patience and finished the few chances they earned. If Tarasov stays steady when he's called upon and the reinforcements arrive soon, this group has the character to make January matter.