WASHINGTON -- With a late arrival into D.C., a backup goalie in net and a formidable foe across the ice, the outlook for the Florida Panthers to earn their first road victory of the season didn't appear promising Saturday.

But the Panthers shook off the cobwebs, James Reimer withstood an early barrage of shots and Florida took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy play by the home team to earn an impressive 4-1 triumph over the Washington Capitals to end a three-game losing streak and pick up its first road win in four attempts.

"We've been analyzing why we've been losing lately and it's playing the right way for 60 minutes," Florida coach Bob Boughner said. "We had everybody going with the right mindset tonight to win a road game."

Making the start in place of the injured Roberto Luongo, Reimer found himself under a heavy barrage of shots during the first 15 minutes, but he weathered the storm and found his footing between the pipes, making 41 saves for his second win.

"They like to throw pucks and get guys going to the net," Reimer said. "I just tried to be set and ready and try and control my rebounds the best I could. It was just fun to be back there and see the guys battle so hard."

Despite setting a season high with 42 shots, Washington continued to struggle with penalties, committing six, and the Capitals also had 17 giveaways.

"The penalties have been a little bit of an ongoing thing here," coach Barry Trotz said. "It took all the rhythm out and forced a big portion of our bench to sit there and get cold. It was a frustrating game. We have to nip the penalties in the bud."

Florida came into the game with just four power-play goals but found the net twice with the extra man, thanks to those Capitals penalties. Late in the first period, Evgenii Dadonov went around a sprawling Tom Wilson and beat Washington goalie Philipp Grubauer glove side to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead with 30 seconds left.

After the Capitals picked up two penalties in 15 seconds in the second period, Florida capitalized quickly on the 5-on-3 opportunity as Vincent Trocheck reeled in an Aleksander Barkov pass through a sea of sticks and beat Grubauer top shelf for a 3-0 advantage and his third goal of the campaign.

"Special teams seem like they might be a really big part of the season," Trocheck said of the Panthers, who are last in the league on the penalty kill and 24th with the man-advantage. "The power play needed to bounce back and we got two tonight."

The Panthers, who didn't arrive in Washington until 3 a.m. Saturday, showed no rust, scoring 86 seconds into the game when Conner Brickley beat Grubauer from point-blank range in front of the net. They then turned the game over to Reimer, who flummoxed the Capitals.

"He certainly was the first star in my mind," Boughner said. "He was big, he was challenging the shooters, his rebound control was great and he made it a little easier for our D."

Barkov added his second goal of the season, an empty-netter with 1:16 remaining in the third period. The Panthers average 40 shots on goal but made do with less Saturday, registering just 23.

Defenseman Christian Djoos scored the Capitals' lone goal in the second period. Grubauer made 19 saves but remains winless in three starts this season.

"We shot ourselves again in the foot a little bit with the penalties," Grubauer said. "They're a really skilled team. They get some quality chances and we couldn't get one past Reimer."

NOTES: Panthers G Roberto Luongo was placed on injured reserve with a hand injury Saturday after leaving Friday's start against Pittsburgh in the third period. Boughner said the injury would sideline the veteran goalie for at least a week. The Panthers recalled G Harri Sateri from AHL Springfield, where he was 0-2-0 with a 4.51 GAA in two games. ... Capitals RW T.J. Oshie played in his 600th career game. ... Florida C Colton Sceviour (upper body) and Jared McCann (lower body) left the game and are classified as day-to-day. ... LW Nathan Walker and D Aaron Ness were the Capitals' scratches, while RW Owen Tippett, C Denis Malgin and D Alex Petrovic were out for Florida. ... Florida next plays Tuesday at Montreal while Washington is off until Oct. 26, when it begins a three-game Canadian swing at Vancouver.