SUNRISE, Fla. _ Despite long odds to make the playoffs, Panthers interim coach Tom Rowe held a team meeting on Wednesday that included players, equipment managers and the medical staff, in which he told them to remain positive.
With the help of one of the most bizarre gift goals in franchise history and then two quick ones in 26 seconds by Jonathan Marchessault, the Panthers heeded their coach's advice en route to a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes in the BB&T Center Thursday.
The Panthers had lost 11 of their last 14, including eight of 10 on home ice, but are now seven points behind the Bruins with nine games left for the final wild-card playoff berth.
"We're still in this thing. I expect everybody to come, play hard every single night and I expect everybody to stay positive," Rowe said after morning skate. "It's my job as head coach to make sure the guys are motivated.
"It's been an awful year and everybody knows that. We had expectations to do a lot better than we did. We haven't. Everybody can talk about the changes all they want. I told them that's behind us and we got to move on and we have to mature as a group. We got to get to the playoffs."
The Panthers trailed 1-0 after one on a giveaway by defenseman Mark Pysyk that ended up in a breakaway goal by Coyotes' Tobias Reider, his 16th.
The Panthers would score three unanswered goals in the middle frame while outshooting the Coyotes 18-4. The flurry began at 7:38 when from behind Arizona's net, Panthers forward Colton Sceviour centered to Shawn Thornton outside the crease.
Coyotes goalie Mike Smith scrambled back into position as Thornton's second shot headed toward him, the 6-foot-4 goalie pulled the cage down as defenseman Jordan Martinook pushed it. The net landed on top of Smith, who looked like a trapped coyote.
The NHL Situation Room ruled it a goal, saying the puck crossed the goal line before the cage was dislodged. Thornton's second red-lighter made 1-1.
That fired up the Panthers and then Marchessault _ the best contract in the NHL according to Rowe this morning _ took a perfect pass from Aleksander Barkov for a layup.
Just 26 seconds later, Marchessault took a feed from Thomas Vanek for a one-timer and his team-leading 25th goal for a 3-1 lead after two that stood up behind James Reimer's 23 saves.
