5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 3, Islanders 2

The Florida Panthers tacked on two goals early and then clamped down on defense in order to grind out an impressive 3-2 win against the New York Islanders at FLA Live Arena on Sunday.
"It's a tired team, but a veteran team," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of the Islanders, who played at Tampa Bay on Saturday. "With that, you know the first period is the place you've got to jump on them and then hopefully break something loose. We did a pretty good job with that.
"After the first period, you know it's going to be a much different game, kind of a grinding game. Pretty good. You're going to want to put some pucks in the net on some of the chances that you had, and it was tighter, but these are really important games for us to go through."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. LUNDELL NETS ONE

Anton Lundell is on the board!
Ferocious on the forecheck, the second-year pro scored his first goal of the season when, after picking Adam Pelech's pocket behind the net, he fired a shot from a sharp angle that just squeaked through Semyon Varlamov's pads to make it 1-0 less than a minute into the contest.
"It's real nice," Lundell said. "It's the first one, so it's only one way [to go] from here. I just enjoy every game and enjoy playing with the guys here."

For his goal song, Lundell picked "Barbra Streisand" by Duck Sauce.
"When they asked about the goal song, I had no clue what to put," Lundell said. "I only know some good Finnish songs. I was trying to figure out a song that some of the fans could sing to and enjoy. My friends back home helped me pick the song."
Looking to build off a fantastic rookie season in which he posted 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 65 games, Lundell has already produced a goal and an assist through six games this season.

2. LUOSTY LIGHTS THE LAMP

Finns have all the fun, don't they?
Not too long after Lundell broke the ice, Eetu Luostarinen extended Florida's lead to 2-0 when he fired a shot on net that deflected off a defender's skate and sailed into the back of the twine.

Like it was on the first goal, forechecking once again helped create an opportunity on offense.
"What I like the most about it is that young players don't necessarily see that as part of the game," Maurice said. "They're playmakers and shooters, but the idea of creating offense from a hard forecheck, that's the stuff where you train young players to be hard to play against."
Moving from fourth-line center to third-line winger this season, Luostarinen has been flourishing in his new role. Averaging a career-high 13:45 of ice time per game, the 24-year-old has already recorded five points (two goals, three assists) in six games this season.

3. LOMBERGHINI MERCY

Alex, can you play "Mercy" please?
Firing home what would go on to hold up as the game-winning goal, Ryan Lomberg extended Florida's lead early in the third period when he teed up a loose puck in the center of the left circle and threaded it through a hole between Varlamov's blocker and his pad to make it 3-1.

"The boys did a great job being where they had to be on the forecheck," Lomberg said. "The puck just kind of bounced to me, and I just put it away."
Named the first star of the game, Lomberg has tallied two points (one goal, one assist) through six games this season. A key part of Florida's hard-nosed fourth line, the Cats have led 52-40 in shot attempts, 24-19 in scoring chances and 3-1 in goals when he's been on the ice at 5-on-5.

4. KNIGHT TIME

Spencer Knight continues to rack up wins.
With 24 saves against the Islanders -- including going 14-for-14 at strength -- the 21-year-old improved to 2-0-0 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .904 save percentage on the season.
New York's only two goals came on the power play from right outside the blue paint.
"They're a good team at that," Knight said of the goals. "They have a lot of skill and a lot of guys who can play in front of the net. They're a tough opponent and have a lot of good players."
Improving his career record to a stellar 25-9-3, only four active goaltenders have hit the 25-win mark faster than Knight's 38 games. Those goaltenders are Frederik Andersen (33 GP), Jordan Binnington (35 GP), Matt Murray (36 GP) and Anton Khudobin (36 GP).
"Typical of the kid," Lomberg said. "No surprise here. We see it every day out of him."

5. SHOT SUPPRESSION

When play was at 5-on-5, the Panthers gave the Islanders absolutely nothing.
Never surrendering more than 10 shot attempts at 5-on-5 in a single period, the Panthers finished with massive advantages in shots on goal (24-12) and scoring chances (25-6).
Keeping the crease clear, they allowed just one high-danger shot attempt at 5-on-5.
"I think we've been playing hard," Lomberg said. "We're a hard team to play against. We've got a lot of skill and can make plays, but at the end of the day we need to be tough to play against. The boys are doing a great job."
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Florida limited the Islanders to just 0.64 expected goals at 5-on-5.
"Very pleased with the way we've defended," Maurice said.