Paul Maurice wins the challenge and the Florida Panthers quick response

Washington thought it had the opener, then Paul Maurice threw the red flag and did not blink. The review came back offside, no goal, and the whole building felt that little shift in air.

The best part was how Florida responded instead of sagging. A big stop at one end, then the puck went north with purpose, and the Panthers got paid for going to the dirty areas.

Just 35 seconds after the overturned goal, A.J. Greer crashed the crease and buried a juicy rebound to make it 1-0. That is exactly the kind of greasy, honest goal that changes a bench's posture.

That matters because we all remember how challenges have gone in bad nights, when nothing stops the avalanche.

Saturday feel different, like the coach landed a punch and the players punched right back.

Greer doing it from the second line is not a fluke, it is a trend with his motor. He's 29, a 2015 second-round pick, and he's built a career on playing like every shift is a tryout.

As a Panthers fan, that's the sequence you wait for all week, smart bench, huge goalie moment, then a greasy goal that feels earned.

Daniil Tarasov has quietly given Florida a chance most nights, and the recent starts back it up.

In his last three starts before Saturday, he beat Colorado 2-1 with 27 saves on 28 shots, then lost 3-2 in overtime to Montreal, and dropped a 6-2 game to St. Louis.

The key is how his calm feeds the skaters. When Tarasov holds his edges and kills rebounds, the D can box out once, then Florida can exit with control instead of praying it clears.

Early on, you could already see better habits, tighter layers through the middle, fewer free looks, and quicker support touches on breakouts. Keep that up, and results will follow.