from Craig Custance of ESPN,

The swing through California has become an opportunity for assessment of teams playing games in San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. Win there and you can win anywhere, the thinking goes.

The Florida Panthers have quietly started off the season pretty well -- not great, but hanging around at 6-4-5 -- and on Sunday began a four-game road trip that included three in California. It started with an impressive win in Anaheim. The Panthers struggled to score goals earlier in the season, but that hasn't been a problem lately.

The Panthers beat the Ducks 6-2, with the six goals a season-high. Brad Boyes and Nick Bjugstad each scored twice. The six goals eclipsed the total number of goals Florida scored in its first five games this season. In November, the Panthers are averaging three goals a game, improved production that will get a test as the California trip continues in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

read on for Burnside on the Coyotes, and LeBrun on the Canadiens among other topics....