Panthers stay ahead of Red Wings to win 3-2

Patric Hornqvist #70 of the Florida Panthers scores a second period goal on Thomas Greiss #29 of the Detroit Red Wings during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on January 31, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

Detroit couldn’t catch a break at home as they were once again foiled out of a win at Little Caesars Arena Sunday. The Florida Panthers played hard through sixty minutes edging the Red Wings 3-2. 

The Red Wings started late in their push Saturday against the Panthers, but couldn’t add another goal after tying them through the rest of the game. Anthony Mantha made his mark that woke up the offense, despite only coming up with a point. In their second meeting, the Red Wings vied for consistency before going back on the road. Taro Hirose played well earning himself two points in the previous game, hoping to notch a few more that could make a difference in their final result. 

Detroit gained a quick power-play where a stop by Chris Driedger got loose and nearly across the line. He somehow got on top of the puck with his body to stop play, getting out of danger. Detroit’s special teams got a few more at the Florida net but came up short. They already had three shots on goal, giving the indication that something was close to occurring. A good play between Givani Smith and captain Dylan Larkin ended with the leader snap shooting one short for his fourth of the season. 

During the play, Florida suffered another penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving another power play to Detroit. It came and went but did increase shots on goal with them up 10-12 midway through the period. At 11:41, they handed Florida a chance to level on the man advantage. The Panthers had a couple of scoring chances with second tries but the Red Wings were on top of them to kill off the two minutes. 

Florida increased the shots on goal during a second power play but failed to convert a goal to tie the game. The period came to a close with Detroit outshooting Florida 13-6 with both delivering five hits to one another. 

The Panthers were on the verge of tying the game going into the second period with Detroit giving them a third opportunity on the power play. Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen smashed MacKenzie Weegar into the boards and was roughed by Aaron Ekblad in response. The two went to the penalty box with the Panthers gaining an advantage. At 2:03, Patric Hornqvist got the power-play goal earning his fifth of the season making it a game for his teammates. 

Florida’s fourth power-play gave them the lead at 15:04, this time with Hornqvist screening Detroit goaltender Thomas Greiss. A one-timer for Ekblad went to the side of Griess who didn’t see it coming, handing the defenseman his second. The Panthers overtook the Red Wings on shots on the net as they found the speed and toughness to dictate well through 40 minutes shooting 18 to Detroit’s nine. 

The Red Wings tried to pick up the pace and keep with the Panthers who were not letting up on offensive power. For eight minutes, the teams took scoring chances but couldn’t put one behind the net. Florida bided their time and on a delayed penalty to Detroit, Aleksander Barkov set up a drive. He fired a shot toward Griess that went off the back of the stick of teammate Carter Verhaeghe to make 3-1 and hand the centerman his fifth. 

Time was just another foe of Detroit’s as they faced a big margin with little left on the clock. With three minutes to go, they went for the empty net, but six attackers didn’t help them close the gap. Florida continued to block the lanes for the Red Wings to produce scoring chances at the net. Mantha somehow found a way to outduel Driedger as play in front of him took his attention away from the scorer to his left. Mantha picked up his third with 1:48 left on the clock. Florida got back on track and handled the six attackers as they were hungry to even up before the horn. 

The Panthers killed off a minute, leaving Detroit with 47 seconds to make it happen. The Panthers blocked shots helped them out immensely while pushing the puck out of their zone. Detroit had the faceoff with four seconds left in the Florida zone, but a blocked shot by Driedger clinched the victory that finished the Panthers strong in Detroit.