Tanner Glass knew his chances of making the Panthers out of training camp were remote, so he played without pressure and enjoyed some of the perks of being with the NHL club.

Glass took full advantage of being housed in a five-star hotel in Parkland, from taking in the pool scene in the afternoons to eating some serious room service.

''I'm getting the good stuff,'' Glass said with a grin. ``They have a mean Iowa pork chop. It's fantastic. I have a great room, a great view. I'm not complaining.''

The gravy train came to an end for Glass on Saturday, the Panthers assigning him to their American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester, N.Y. Glass will get a chance to be a team leader in Rochester, and likely make his way back to Florida during the season.

With Glass demoted, there are three young players left riding the roster bubble, with Monday night's preseason game against the New York Islanders their last chance to prove they deserve to stick around. Barring an injury or trade, the Panthers don't have a roster spot open with four (veteran defenseman Jassen Cullimore is fighting for a contract) players on the outside looking in.

A roster spot could open if defenseman Karlis Skrastins (upper back) isn't cleared to play and is put on the injured list. General manager Jacques Martin also could make a trade in the coming days.

''You want to show them something every day, every game,'' said Shawn Matthias, 20, who played four games with the Panthers last season. ``You want to show you have something new up your sleeve, something they didn't expect from you. I want to be out there every day, working my hardest. They have to know that I want to be here. Hopefully they've seen that.''

Matthias, Anthony Stewart and Michael Frolik are all gunning for a spot on the opening-night roster. A good night could cement their standing with the big club; a poor showing might bring a coach ticket to Rochester.

''There's nobody at this training camp who can say they didn't get an opportunity to play, especially the young guys,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ``Everybody got a lot of minutes in the exhibition games, probably a lot more games than they would in a normal camp where everyone was healthy. Opportunity hasn't been an issue.''

Of the three, Stewart has to be considered a front-runner for a roster spot. A first-round draft pick in 2003, Stewart has come to camp in fantastic shape and is playing with a serious attitude.

''It's been good to make an impression,'' he said. ``I feel like I've done all I can do these past few games. I'm happy with my camp so far. I may not look any different, but on the ice, my work has translated.''

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