DETROIT – The Florida Panthers will try to end their four-game road trip on a high note when they clash with the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Owning a 44-28-4 record, the injury-plagued Panthers were held without a goal in the first half of their back-to-back, suffering a 3-0 loss against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
But even with that loss, they still managed to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
By virtue of the Toronto Maple Leafs beating the Columbus Blue Jackets later in the evening, the defending Stanley Cup champions will get a chance to defend their title.
“We’ve got to get the win here,” forward Jonah Gadjovich said after the loss to the Senators. “We’re going to be hungry. It’s a quick turnaround. Take the good, take the bad from this game, learn from it and move on. It’s a new day tomorrow.”
Even with key players like Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk sidelined by injuries, the Panthers played a strong game but simply weren’t rewarded with any points in Ottawa.
Controlling play for much of the game, they led the Senators 83-41 in shot attempts, 37-21 in scoring chances and racked up 4.31 expected goals, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Gadjovich said. “We want to get the wins at this point of the year, but our product is right. I think our game is good. We’re playing the right way. We’re doing what we want to do, just not getting the final outcome that we want.”
With so many players missing, the Panthers experimented with new lines in Ottawa.
Of the new combinations, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand really stood out. At 5-on-5, that trio led 15-2 in shot attempts and had a 98.2 expected goals for percentage.
"They were good on the other side of the puck," head coach Paul Maurice said.
After backing up Sergei Bobrovsky against the Senators, Vitek Vanecek will likely get the nod in Detroit. In four appearances since being acquired at the trade deadline, the 29-year-old netminder has produced a 1-2-1 record with a .889 save percentage and one shutout.
Still in the playoff hunt, the Red Wings sit at 35-33-7, with their 77 points placing them six behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Despite dropping three of their last five games, the Red Wings enter tonight’s matchup looking to build off a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
Five different skaters lit the lamp in the win, while Cam Talbot stopped 30 of 33 shots in net. Putting Detroit up 3-1 with a strike in the second period, Patrick Kane became the first U.S.-born skater to score at least 20 goals in 17 different seasons.
Lucas Raymond leads the Red Wings in scoring with 74 points (26 goals, 48 assists). Tied for second, Alex DeBrincat and captain Dylan Larkin have each accumulated 64 points. Still going strong at 36 years old, Kane ranks fourth on the team with 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists).
Getting the bulk of the starts this season, Talbot is 19-17-4 with a .903 save percentage.
The second of three meetings between the Panthers and Red Wings this season, the Red Wings earned a 5-2 win in their previous matchup on Jan. 16 at Amerant Bank Arean.
Following tonight’s tilt, the two teams will meet again on April 10 in Sunrise.
THEY SAID IT
“We were good in the areas we were trying to be good at tonight.” – Paul Maurice on Saturday’s loss in Ottawa
“We’ve just got to keep working and create those chances.” – Jesper Boqvist on breaking through offensively
FIVE CATS STATS
- Brad Marchand has tallied 43 points (18G, 25A), in 43 career games vs. Detroit.
- Anton Lundell has won 33 faceoffs over his last three games.
- The Panthers lead the NHL with 1,187 hits on the road.
- Niko Mikkola ranks second on Florida with 83 blocked shots.
- The Panthers are 24-4-0 when leading after the first period.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Check back closer to puck drop.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- April 2: D Jaycob Megna recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- April 2: D Tobias Bjornfot assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, April 6 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
TV & Streaming: TNT, truTV, MAX
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click Here
