Happy Easter from everyone at FL Teams!
It was a great Easter for all sports fans in South Florida, and that includes the Florida Panthers, as they traveled to Detroit and won their 10th straight game in a matinee game behind four second-period goals, 6-1. With their win, Florida improves to 54-15-6.
First Period:
The first period was full of close calls, as there were a lot of shots (13 for the Panthers, 12 for the Wings). There were also two penalties by each team, but neither could connect on close calls.
Second Period, A Quadruple Dose of Goals:
The Panthers were finally able to draw first blood five minutes into the second period when the Panthers broke into the offensive zone, and Aleksander Barkov would feed Anthony Duclair for a one-timer, in which he would shoot it perfectly past Alex Nedeljkovic. The Panthers would double the lead a minute and 30 seconds later when Sam Reinhart would escape a couple of Red Wing defenders and snipe one past Nedeljkovic.
The avalanche of goals would continue throughout the period. The Panthers extended their lead to 3-0 at 14:23 when a shot by Sam Reinhart was rebounded to Anton Lundell, who would position it perfectly to tuck it home. 28 seconds later, Florida would add a fourth goal when Maxim Mamin would break Nedeljkovic’s ankles, flipping a shot to his right side.
Third Period:
The action slowed down early on in the third, until Brandon Montour was called for a high-sticking call, 4:25 into the period. However, this is when the Panthers special teams rose up, as they would score their 12th short-handed goal when Aleksander Barkov beat the Red Wings defense to make a one-handed back pass to Anton Lundell, who would put it home.
The Red Wings would spoil Spencer Knight’s shutout seven minutes later when Pius Suter beat Knight’s five-hole. It would be the only goal Knight would allow on 34 shots faced.
Gustav Forsling would add a sixth goal for the Panthers when he slapped one from far and roasted Nedeljkovic’s five-hole.
Next Up:
The Panthers travel to Long Island and play the New York Islanders on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM. Detroit, meanwhile, will travel to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning on Tuesday night. Puck drop for that game is 7 PM.