Talbot makes 41 saves, Red Wings stay hot by defeating Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Cam Talbot made 41 saves, including 23 in the third period, and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.

Dylan Larkin had two goals and an assist for the Red Wings (21-19-4), who scored three power-play goals and are 8-1-0 in their past nine games.

“A tough building to play in and a veteran team over there. We needed a response after our last game,” Talbot said, referring to the 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks in Detroit on Tuesday. “We didn’t play up to the standard we have been setting, so I thought we came out and established our game again. It definitely helps when you bury three before the midway point in the game.”

Patrick Kane and Marco Kasper each had a goal and an assist, and Lucas Raymond had two assists to help the Red Wings get their first regulation win against the Panthers since Feb. 20, 2021.

“The win was terrific for our group after what we had against San Jose,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “The task was very difficult and it was very evident they are the champs for a reason. We needed outstanding goaltending, we needed special teams to get hot. We found a way to scrap our way to a win. It wasn’t pretty.”

Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues scored for the Panthers (26-17-3). Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after giving up four goals on 15 shots, and Spencer Knight made four saves in relief.

“I would leave Sergei in -- any day, all day long -- in a game we need to battle back [in],” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “Sometimes, guys get unlucky in the net. When you get two deflections like that -- he was right, his positioning was solid, it’s not his night. You’re looking for a little change. It’s not a reflection on how I feel or how he plays for us. Sergei doesn’t get pulled very often.”

Detroit took a 1-0 lead on the power play at 8:48 of the first period when Jonatan Berggren beat Bobrovsky to the glove side with a wrist shot from the left face-off circle.

Lundell tied it 1-1 at 11:01, tapping in the rebound of a Carter Verhaeghe shot.

The Red Wings took a 2-1 lead on the power play at 7:52 of the second period when Larkin knocked in a pass from Kane at the back door.

“Today was business as usual. We focused on Florida and had a great start to the (four-game) trip,” said Larkin, the Detroit captain. “Tonight, we outworked the penalty-killers. They like to pressure, win battles on the boards. We battled back and it was good to see things go well on the first one.”

Rodrigues tied it 2-2 at 8:21, but Kane gave Detroit the lead for good by making it 3-2 on the power play at 13:44, when he put a wrist shot over Bobrovsky’s shoulder from the right circle.

“We have to stay out of the box. The past six or seven games, we have been taking quite a bit of penalties,” said Rodrigues, who was in the penalty box for Detroit’s first goal after being called for tripping. “That cost us tonight. Even strength we played well; special teams won them the game.”

Kasper pushed it to 4-2 at 15:41, chasing Bobrovsky. After Larkin forced a turnover, Kasper drove up the middle and scored with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Larkin scored into an empty net with 1:22 remaining in the third for the 5-2 final and his 20th goal of the season.

“This may sound strange, but this was the perfect opponent for us,” McLellan said. “They had our attention. We found a way to win.”

NOTES: Larkin is the first Red Wings player with four consecutive 20-goal seasons since Henrik Zetterberg had seven straight from 2005-12. … Kane scored his 80th game-winning goal, becoming the fourth United States-born player with as many. He joined Mike Modano (92), Jeremy Roenick (92) and Zach Parise (83). … Florida’s 13-game point streak (12-0-1) against Detroit ended. It is the second longest against a single opponent in franchise history. The Panthers had a 15-game streak (13-0-2) against the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2001-06.