In his last outing, Reimer stopped 34 of 35 shots to help lead the Panthers to a 3-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Looking confident, the 30-year-old has gone 5-1-2 in his last nine games, posting a 2.29 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in that span.
"He's turned his game around," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "I think that he's found another level. When we're winning games at this time of the year, you have to go with your gut and try and to keep the same lineup if we win. We have four games this week, so both goaltenders are going to see some action. I just like the way he's playing with a lot of confidence right now."
That confidence is not limited to Reimer alone, as the Panthers as a whole have been playing with plenty of swagger during their current 4-1-0 stretch that has brought the team to within nine points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand and 32 to play.
Over the last five games, Florida (21-21-8) has outscored its opponents 17-10.
"I think you can tell with any player when they're feeling good and they're feeling good about their game," Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. "I think Reims has played well and he obviously played really well for us last game. He was able to get us a big win in a close game."
Tonight's game also stands as just the second for new Panthers Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan, who were acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. In their debuts against Vegas, both forwards skated over 15 minutes, earning heaps of praise from Boughner.
"They calmed the lines down," said Boughner, who will once again be depolying Brassard on the second line and Sheahan on the third against St. Louis. "They did a lot of little things that didn't show up on the scoresheet, but you can see that veteran experience."
Brassard also had the lone assist on Mike Hoffman's game-winning goal in the third period.
"It was obviously nice that we could help each other get on the board," said Hoffman, who paces Florida with 24 goals. "Brass is a great player. He can play throughout the lineup - the wing, center, good on the power play. It's a good addition. Both him and Riley played really well for their first game here. It's not always easy coming over to a new team and playing the next day."
Making their fourth stop on a five-game road trip, the Blues (23-22-5) have won six of their last nine contests, including a 4-2 victory in Columbus on Saturday. Likely the main reason for this turnaround has been the play of Ryan O'Reilly, who enters tonight riding a seven-game point streak. O'Reilly, an all-star this season, also leads the club in both goals (19) and points (52).
"If you look at their team, they've got a real solid top-six," Boughner said. "Their backend is big. All six guys that are playing tonight can play; they're effective players. They've got a complete team. I think they just, again, got off to that slow start, but they found a way to get back to a little bit of their identity and they're winning hockey games. They're going to be a tough opponent."
The Blues topped the Panthers 4-3 in St. Louis on Dec. 11.
"We know what they can do," said Yandle, who leads Florida's defensemen in points (39) and assists (32). "We know how much talent they have on their team. We had a tough loss in their building earlier in the year. For us, it's about continuing to get better, especially in this homestand."
