Big boost of confidence

ST. LOUIS — Despite tying former Panthers goalie Ed Belfour for fourth place all-time when he played his 963rd game Saturday night, Roberto Luongo still needed a stellar outing to restore his confidence.

He got it when he made 33 saves, many spectacular, to lead the Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Kings on Saturday for his 452nd career win, two behind Curtis Joseph for fourth most alltime. Luongo, 37, had given up three or more goals in seven of his eight previous games.

“It was a huge game for him,” Rowe said before the Panthers bid for a franchise-best 5-0 road trip with a victory against the Blues on Monday night at Scottrade Center

“I don’t care how many years you play in the league or how many games you played, confidence is a big thing for everybody. I though that was a very important game for him and played unbelievable for us.”

That said, Rowe tabbed James Reimer for the Blues matchup, as the former Maple Leafs goalie is 7-1-1 in his last nine outings with a 2.13 goals-against-average and .930 save percentage. He entered Monday with a 2.48 goals-against-average, compared with Luongo’s 2.69.

“That’s why we signed him,” Rowe said. “When Lou needed some time off then we would have a quality guy to step in and carry the load or whatever may happen. That was the plan from the summertime on, and Reimer has done a great job.

“He had been under the heat in Toronto, and there’s not any more scrutiny put on a player than in Toronto and he handled that like a champ. So we’re not surprised what he’s doing, and

AP/FILE Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo got his 452nd career win, two behind Curtis Joseph for fourth most all-time, on Saturday against the Kings.