Things can turn around pretty quickly in hockey, especially early in a season.

The Panthers sure hope that's the case for them.

Florida, after losing eight of its first 10, has won two consecutive games for the first time this season. The Panthers beat Dallas in a shootout 6-5 on Friday, then turned around and blanked the host Blues 4-0 on Saturday.

And with three upcoming divisional games this week (two against Southeast-leading Washington) the Panthers need to keep this up. Coach Pete DeBoer sounded upbeat Sunday and said his team ``was feeling good about itself'' after the wins. DeBoer gave the team Sunday off. They will return to the ice Monday morning.

``We're not going to dig ourselves out of this hole by winning a few and losing a few,'' DeBoer said. ``We have to get on a winning streak and enjoy that ride as long as we can.''

The Panthers haven't gotten off to good starts either in past seasons or in past games until the weekend sweep. In Dallas, Florida got three quick goals from Steve Reinprecht but watched the Stars battle back and tie the score at 4 going into the third period. On Saturday, Florida led 2-0 going into the first intermission and never looked back as Dennis Seidenberg got his first goal as a Panther to make it 3-0, and Nathan Horton added an empty-net goal.

``We played two good games and won them in different fashion, and we needed to do that,'' DeBoer said. ``In the first one we were ready and jumped all over them but had to hold on. In the St. Louis game, I think we played the best 60-minute game of the season.''

GOALIE SWITCH

Florida won the two games with different goalies as backup Scott Clemmensen got the shootout win in Dallas, and Tomas Vokoun slid in against the Blues and pitched Florida's first shutout of the season.

Expect Vokoun to return to the crease Wednesday when the slumping Carolina Hurricanes come to Sunrise. Carolina won the first meeting between the two 7-2 in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 9, but the Panthers jumped out of last place in the division by leaping the Hurricanes with Saturday's win.

• The Panthers ended up going 4-7-1 in October. The four wins in that month were not close to being the fewest in franchise history, with the 2000 team winning just one of its first 10.

``We needed these wins,'' DeBoer said. ``We couldn't come home 2-10.''

• Defenseman Keaton Ellerby as well as forwards Jeff Taffe and Michal Repik were sent back to the team's AHL affiliate in Rochester, N.Y., on Sunday.