Detroit Red Wings show some fight, but settle for 3-2 shootout loss to Florida Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. — In a possible first-round matchup – should they make it – the Detroit Red Wings showed some mettle.
They scored in the first period and withstood a late charge by Florida Panthers Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena, ultimately settling for a 3-2 loss in a shootout.
The game was physical, but the Wings pushed back, and did so without taking needless penalties. It was the Panthers who were shorthanded for a fourth time just past the midpoint of the third period. There was 7:39 left in the period when two of Florida's top players, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad, paired up to make it 1-1. Barkov was credited for a second goal with 4:56 to play when Moritz Seider accidentally tipped the puck into his own net. Dylan Larkin – who missed part of the first period – responded with a power play goal, the team's second of the game, with four minutes to play. Lyon made 35 saves in regulation.
The Wings are trying to edge into the playoff picture. The Panthers already have clinched, but they're battling the Boston Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division and the Bruins, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the East. That could potentially mean a meeting with the Wings, who lost both games against the Panthers in Detroit and won in overtime in Florida back in January.
The Wings finish up their tough road trip Monday at the Tampa Bay Lightning.
DEREK LALONDE: Detroit Red Wings need results, but this isn't 'throw tables' time
A scare and a score
Dylan Larkin left the ice gingerly and with help after getting hit in the knee by a puck during the opening shift, about the last thing the Wings needed to see given their circumstances. But it looked worse than it was, and Larkin was back on the ice about midway through the period, in time to take the draw against Kevin Stenlund on a power play. Larkin did not play another shift in the period after that second one. Florida's penalty killers blocked the WIngs' first two attempts, but Fabbri succeeded on his second attempt, firing a shot from the right circle that eluded Sergei Bobrovsky and gave the Wings some confidence.
That's more like it
The Wings came out of the first period on the strength of their power and their goaltending, with Lyon making 11 saves to Bobrovsky's eight (one of which was on a Lucas Raymond breakaway). It was a pretty complete first period, especially considering Larkin only was available for two shifts. The Wings played with energy and withstood the Panthers' physicality. The Wings got some help during a Florida power play – an intended pass was fumbled and squirted out of the zone; Barkov's shot attempt dinged off a goal post.
Scoreless second
The second period ended with the Wings still protecting a one-goal lead (they gave up four goals in the second period two nights earlier in Carolina). The Wings went on a third power play with 1:56 to play in the period, but the Panthers had the better chances – Eetu Luostarinen got a shot on Lyon after a missed set-up attempt from behind Florida's net created an opportunity for the Panthers, and Sam Reinhart forced another save from Lyon off a Moritz Seider giveaway. Lyon made 13 saves in the second period, for a total of 24 after two periods.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings get key point, but lose in shootout to Panthers
