Florida 3, Detroit 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 1, 2021
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees:
Francis Charron, T.J. Luxmore
Linesmen:
Jonny Murray, Kory Nagy
Attendance:
4359
By Field Level Media
Alex Wennberg scored less than 90 seconds into overtime and Chris Driedger made 25 saves as the Florida Panthers beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in Sunrise, Fla., on Thursday night.
The Panthers, tied with Tampa Bay atop the NHL's Central Division standings, have won four consecutive games after sweeping their past two series against Dallas and Detroit.
Florida also closed out its season series with the Red Wings with six wins in eight games. Columbus visits the Panthers this weekend; Detroit travels to Tampa Bay.
Detroit goalie Thomas Greiss made 33 saves.
Greiss held a 2-1 lead in the third after Anthony Mantha scored his 10th goal of the season at 6:07 of the period.
Florida tied it at 10:39 on a power play goal from Frank Vatrano, his 11th of the season.
That was the only power play goal Detroit gave up as the Panthers went 1-for-4 with the man advantage. The Red Wings were 0-for-2 on the power play.
Tied at 2 going into the extra frame, Florida kept the puck in the Detroit zone for the entirety, with Wennberg netting the game-winner off a pass from Gustav Forsling.
Florida came out quickly, getting three scoring chances in the opening minutes of the game.
But it was the Red Wings who struck first as Adam Erne's 40-foot slap shot sailed above Driedger's head at 4:21 of the first.
The Panthers tied it at 11:55 of the first when Noel Acciari chopped at a loose puck past Carter Verhaeghe.
At Thursday's morning skate, the Panthers got some good news as captain Aleksander Barkov and second-line forward Patric Hornqvist both practiced.
Although neither played Thursday, coach Joel Quenneville said both players (Hornqvist is eligible to come off IR Friday) should play Saturday.
Florida also placed forward Anthony Duclair (shoulder) on IR.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Detroit |
|
Florida |
|
Patrik Nemeth 2 |
Points |
Frank Vatrano 2 |
|
Adam Erne 1 |
Goals |
Frank Vatrano 1 |
|
Patrik Nemeth 2 |
Assists |
Carter Verhaeghe 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Frank Vatrano 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Thomas Greiss .917 |
Save Percentage |
Chris Driedger .926 |
|
Thomas Greiss 33 |
Saves |
Chris Driedger 25 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Detroit
|
27 |
2 |
0-2 |
3-4 |
20 |
33 |
| Florida
|
36 |
3 |
1-4 |
2-2 |
16 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
Florida will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Panthers have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .786 after a loss.
-
Detroit will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .360 after a loss.