ST. LOUIS _ Despite tying former Panthers goalie Ed Belfour for fourth place all-time when he played his 963rd game Saturday night, Roberto Luongo still needed a stellar outing to restore his confidence.
He got it when he made 33 saves, many spectacular, to lead the Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Kings on Saturday for his 452nd career win, two behind Curtis Joseph for fourth most all-time. Luongo, 37, had given up three or more goals in seven of his eight previous games.
"It was a huge game for him," Rowe said before the Panthers bid for a franchise-best 5-0 road trip with a victory over the Blues on Monday night at Scottrade Center.
"I don't care how many years you play in the league or how many games you played, confidence is a big thing for everybody. I though that was a very important game for him and played unbelievable for us."
That said, Rowe tabbed James Reimer for the Blues matchup, as the former Maple Leafs goalie is 7-1-1 in his last nine outings with a 2.13 goals-against-average and .930 save percentage. He entered Monday with a 2.48 goals-against-average, compared to Luongo's 2.69.
"That's why we signed him," Rowe said. "When Lou needed some time off then we would have a quality guy to step in and carry the load or whatever may happen. That was the plan from the summer time on and Reimer has done a great job.
"He had been under the heat in Toronto and there's not any more scrutiny put on a player than in Toronto and he handled that like a champ. So we're not surprised what he's doing and he's really helped us."
