SUNRISE, Fla. -- Still trying to get a feel for their new coach, the Florida Panthers found a way to win once again.
Only five days removed from witnessing Peter Horachek take over for Kevin Dineen behind the bench, Florida's game plan has been nothing short of piecemeal.
Adopting a coach's new philosophies and systems is one challenge; the pressure of snapping a nine-game winless streak is another. And on top of that, Florida faced the monumental task of doing it against the league-leading Anaheim Ducks.
But the Panthers have had limited time to get their new plan together. Horachek initially met with the team for 40 minutes Friday to go over his system on a whiteboard. They held a brief on-ice session going over neutral-zone basics.
The Panthers lost back-to-back games to the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers over the weekend, rested Monday, and had to be back to work Tuesday.
"Even in the practice that we did, we did a little neutral zone work. Really basic. That's about it," defenseman Mike Weaver said. "After that, all the structure, in our zone, PK, PP, it's been on the board, X's and O's."
But the bits and pieces finally came together in the second and third periods as Florida overcame a two-goal decficit and finished with a 3-2 triumph Tuesday night. It was the Panthers' first win since Oct. 19.
"Good teams don't lose 10 in a row, right?" Scottie Upshall said.
That's what the Panthers hope, at least, that Horachek's simple approach brings out the skill set of their roster.
"His system demands a lot of work and a lot of speed," said Upshall, whom Horachek coached in Nashville. "We've got a group in here that can definitely put that recipe together. When we do, you've seen what happens."
Tuesday, the Panthers looked like a team still trying to put its new identity together. Daniel Winnik and Andrew Cogliano weaved through Florida's defense and teamed up to put the Ducks on the board just 40 seconds into the game. Another breakdown later in the period led to a hard wrist shot by Hampus Lindholm to get past Panthers' Tim Thomas.
Not pleased with the effort, Horachek and new assistants Brian Skrudland and John Madden immediately sought a course correction during the first intermission.
"Some of the coaches might have gone in there and talked to them, made them feel a little more accountable, that they have the respond," Horachek said. "That's what we're supposed to do as coaches. Our job is to help them realize the situation and to respond to those situations."
Florida finally broke through a little more than halfway through the second period, with Shawn Matthias and Scottie Upshall contributing goals 70 seconds apart to square the game.
The key to the comeback? Increased net presence.
Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen found himself overwhelemed by red at times, forwards hacking away at rebounds. Defenseman kept firing shots from the point or took the risk of crashing the crease.
"It's not a sit-back style," Horachek said. "We want to work. We want to put everyone on the same page. We want five guys on offense. We want five guys in the neutral zone. We want five guys in the D-zone. They're going to have to work."
No one is spared from any duty in any zone, essentially.
But more importantly, it is a change in mentality even the players admit they have been longing for.
"The team has got to learn and be winners and learn how it feels," Horachek said. "They feel pretty good in there right now. They know they worked hard and they got back in a situation, won a big game they needed to win a game after where this team has been -- nine [games].
"It's not about the individuals," he added. "It's not about how many goals you're scoring. We've got to win games. So its about how we react, how we respond and where we're going."
Tuesday was just the first step ahead.
