Led by Spencer Knight in net, Panthers grind out shootout win over Penguins

The Florida Panthers path to wins lately hasn’t been the easiest. They’ve had to grind their way through the past three weeks as they approach the midway point of the season.

Friday was no exception.

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Panthers rode steady goaltending from backup Spencer Knight, timely scoring and a strong night on special teams en route to a 3-2 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Amerant Bank Arena.

Florida improves to 24-14-2 on the season and have won six of their past nine games — with five of those wins being either by one goal or two goals with the insurance goal being an empty-netter. Pittsburgh falls to 17-17-6.

Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell scored in the shootout for Florida, while Knight stopped both Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby to secure the win.

Knight finished the night with 29 saves on 31 shots against, including a perfect 21 for 21 at even strength.

“He made a couple of really big saves there at the end,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “and that’s so important for him and for our team on back-to-back nights. ... Really happy for him. I think he’s played well.”

Added Knight of playing strong late in the game: “It’s a pressure situation, but I think that’s a situation that we have to be comfortable in. And for me, I know that if you’re playing in meaningful games down the line, those are situations you might be in — close games against best players in the world. And you’ve got to know ‘All right, this is what has to be done if you want to succeed.’”

The Panthers took the lead with 11:12 left in regulation on a Matthew Tkachuk power-play goal on his first shift after spending 12 minutes in the penalty box due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a 10-minute misconduct stemming from a scrum in the Panthers’ offensive zone late in the second period.

The goal was Tkachuk’s 14th of the season but his first since Dec. 18, snapping a six-game scoring drought.

It also gave Tkachuk a little bit of redemption after he played a role in Florida surrendering the go-ahead goal one night earlier against the Carolina Hurricanes.

But Pittsburgh tied the game with 40 seconds left on a Rakell power-play goal with the Penguins’ net empty for a six-on-four advantage to force overtime. Knight and Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry traded big saves in the five-minute extra period — each made three saves in the three-on-three format — to send the game to the shootout.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling also scored for Florida, tallying his sixth goal of the season on a wrist shot from beyond the right circle 36 seconds into the second period. Crosby tied the game five seconds into a power play later in the period.

Florida next heads out for a two-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday and Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday. It’s the start of a stretch of eight road contests over the next 11 games.