In Winnipeg, Mason Marchment registered the first two-goal game of his career, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett also touched twine, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves.
What's the key to building off that strong performance tonight?
"Just get back to our home ways here a little bit," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said following this morning's skate. "These are always hard games after a trip, so we really have to bear down and give that effort that we gave last game and feed off our crowd tonight."
Fueling their team to victory, the crowds have certainly been rocking in Sunrise.
Owning a league-best 21-3-0 record on home ice, the Panthers have won each of their last seven games in their own barn. Serenaded by fans with chants of "We want 10," they lead the league in goals (114), goals per game (4.75) and shots per game (38.9) at home this season.
On home ice, Jonathan Huberdeau leads the league with 39 points (eight goals, 31 assists), while Aaron Ekblad paces the league's defensemen with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists).
Heading to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, Huberdeau, who's posted at least one point in 11 of his last 13 games, enters tonight's tilt tied for second in league-scoring with 58 points overall.
"It's fun to be on the ice with him at all times because you might be on the receiving end of one of those silky passes," Ekblad said of Huberdeau. "When you pass back to him, you know he's going to score. … He's an all-star, he's a superstar and he's an MVP in this league."
In terms of lineup changes for the Cats, Gustav Forsling could return to the blue line tonight after sitting out the last four games while in COVID protocols. In 34 games this season, the smooth-skating defenseman has amassed 19 points (one goal, 18 assists) and 28 takeaways.
Between the pipes, rookie Spencer Knight will draw in against the Golden Knights. Deemed "exceptional" by teammates after his last outing, the 20-year-old made 27 saves - not including a pair of clutch stops in the shootout - to lift the Panthers to a 2-1 win at Vancouver on Jan. 21.
In 16 appearances this season, Knight owns an 8-5-2 record.
Winning 11 of 14 games since returning from the NHL's brief pause due to COVID-19 in late December, Brunette said he's really liked how players have looked since getting back to work.
"I thought the group came back ready to prove even more," the all-star bench boss said. "They started off really well, and hopefully we can continue this, especially at home. Home has really dictated and kind of set our game in place. We've got to continue that. It's huge for our team."
In first place in the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights, who sit at 25-15-3, enter tonight's matchup riding a three-game point streak after a 4-3 overtime loss at Carolina on Tuesday.
After Brett Howden and Nicolas Hague scored for Vegas in the third period to force overtime, Sebastian Aho buried the game-winning goal for the Hurricanes. Making his first start since Jan. 2, Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 shots for Vegas, while Frederik Andersen made 26 saves for Carolina.
"Over a long season, it's important to find a way to get a point in games like this," Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer said after the loss.
Chandler Stephenson leads the Golden Knights in assists (26) and points (38), while Jonathan Marchessault has netted the most goals (19). Entering into COVID protocols on Tuesday, Reilly Smith, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 29 points, isn't expected to suit up tonight.
Likely manning the blue paint for Vegas, Robin Lehner, who has started six of the team's last seven games, has posted a 17-11-1 record on top of a .907 save percentage this season.
With the Golden Knights owning a 12-5-1 record on the road, the Panthers, who have taken two of three games from Vegas at home since 2017-18, are expecting another tough test tonight.
"They're going to be rested," Ekblad said. "We know we're going to get a good start out of them. It's important for us to weather that storm and counterattack as best we can. We're going to try and find some energy early, and then continue it for a full 60 minutes."
