Spencer Knight Comes Up Big for the Florida Panthers

SUNRISE — The big question being asked Friday night as the Florida Panthers played the Penguins was, how good is Spencer Knight in a shootout?

Um…probably pretty good?

It was hard to say.

Knight had not been in this spot in an NHL game for some time.

The last time Knight was in net for a shootout game for the Panthers was way back in 2022 when they welcomed back Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and their Calgary Flames.

Knight and the Panthers lost that game, Rasmus Andersson scoring in Round 5 to give the Flames a win.

On Friday night, however, give Knight his props.

When it came right down to it, he was money.

Knight ended up stopping the two shots he faced in the shootout with the Panthers scoring in the second and third round, Florida beating the Penguins 3-2.

It was only the second shootout win for Knight in his NHL career, the first coming in the 2021-22 season (when Huberdeau and Weegar were still his teammates) when he stopped the host Vancouver Canucks in Round 3 to get a win.

As was the case back on Jan. 22, 2022, Anton Lundell scored the deciding shootout goal.

Regardless of how Friday’s game ended up, Knight was terrific.

No One Covers the Florida Panthers Like FHN. Period.

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He gave up two goals in regulation, yes, but both were on the power play — the first to future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby on an all-world one-timer off a blind pass from Bryan Rust in the second to tie things up at 1.

The game-tying goal, one which gave the Penguins at least a much-needed point, came with 40 seconds left in regulation. Pittsburgh held a 6-on-4 advantage and Rickard Rakell got in the slot and scored off a feed from Evgeni Malkin.

“He made a couple of really big saves there down in the end,’’ coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s so important for him and for our team on back-to-back nights. You need that; they’ve got five or six guys that can shoot it as well as anybody in the last 20 years. He was great tonight. Really happy for him.’’

In overtime, Knight and Tristan Jarry made one prime save after another.

It was a good win for the Panthers.

It was a really good win for Spencer Knight.

Did the Penguins hit the cage a few times?

Yes.

Did they miss some open looks? Yeah.

Does it really matter?

Nope.

When it mattered, Knight stopped Rakell and Crosby in the shootout; Sam Reinhart and Lundell scored.

That, as they say, was that.

“Knight was so, so good for us,’’ said Matthew Tkachuk, who spent a lot of time in the penalty box before giving Florida a 2-1 lead by deflecting Carter Verhaeghe’s power-play shot in during the third.

“Incredible saves. Incredible saves in the third. Unfortunately, they got one late. [Knight] really was our best player tonight. We needed him, being on a back-to-back. He was by far the difference for us. In the shootout he made so many incredible saves.”

The Penguins might be struggling a bit, and, are not the Stanley Cup champs they once were.

But this is a team with some serious firepower when the chips are down and Knight answered the bell.

“Exhilarating. It’s obviously a pressure situation, but I think it’s a situation that we have to be comfortable in,’’ Knight said. “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 the best players in the world and you got to know what has to be done in order to succeed in the end.”

And, it seemed almost fitting that the star of Florida’s ‘90s Night was a player who was born in 2001.

Did Knight enjoy 90s Night in Sunrise?

“Yeah,’’ he said, “I liked the music.’’

ON DECK: GAME No. 41

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT COLORADO AVALANCHE 

• When: Monday, 9 p.m.
• Where: Ball Arena, Denver
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last Season: Panthers Won 2-0
• This Season (Avs Lead 1-0) — At Colorado: Monday. At Florida: Avs 7, Panthers 4 (Nov. 23).
• All-time Regular Season Series: Colorado leads 28-14-5, 3 ties
• Postseason Series: Colorado d. Florida 4-0, 1996 Stanley Cup Final
• Up Next for the Panthers: Wednesday at Utah, 10 p.m.