Happy Spring, everyone! We’re in the month of March and Red Wings games still matter! The Good Guys host some big uglies from down south who have a fetish for rats for some unknown yet fitting reasons. This Panthers team is without a doubt a member of an exclusive echelon of elite squads in the NHL. They’re mean, they’re heavy, and they suppress goals and chances as well as anyone else in the League. This is going to be an excellent test for Derek Lalonde’s squad this afternoon.
1st Period
After some unforgivable ESPN scheduling decisions, it’s time to hockey. It’ll be Sergei Bobrovsky versus his former backup Alex Lyon. The Red Wings start with Larkin-Kane-Debrincat backed up by Chiarot and Petry. The Panther’s second line iced the puck, and Maatta rang one off the crossbar off the ensuing faceoff, but we are still without a shot on goal in the first three minutes.
Forsling made a great play at center ice to turn a Detroit odd-man rush the other way. Lyon made a top notch save on Reinhart. Raymond and Kane then got themselves a 2-on-1. Raymond passed to Kane. Bobrovsky was hyper aggressive on Kane, who passed back to Raymond, but Raymond was unable to get the puck on the gaping cage.
The next shift, Compher’s line created some solid pressure and it’s in the net! No goal though because no one yelled “Timber!” before Rasmussen fell over Bobrovsky’s back. Copp-Perron-Veleno followed up with some sustained pressure of their own. The Panthers are hitting hard and keeping the puck to the outside, but the Wings are really dominating possession through this stretch. Fischer and Sprong continue Detroit’s possession dominance on the next shift, and Fischer rewards his team with a man advantage by drawing an interference penalty at center ice. It’s time for a RRRRRRRRED WINGS POWER PLAY!
The first unit is woefully unable to do anything against the Panther’s extremely aggressive PK. The second unit at least kept the puck in the zone for a few dozen seconds, but the penalty is killed without a single threat. After the penalty expires, Larkin clears the defensive zone with a backhander that trickles in on Bobrovsky and that is officially Detroit’s first shot on goal.
The next several minutes are all Florida after a suspect icing whistle. Lyon isn’t flawlessly sharp, but he keeps the puck out of his net. After Lyon freezes the puck, Nick cousins slashes Seider who responds with a full-force two-hander and he’s going to the box. No call on Tkachuk who repeatedly elbowed Walman in the face after the whistle. Wings to the penalty kill.
The Panther’s power play was certainly more threatening than the Red Wings’ had been, but the Wings’ killers did a great job and the most dangerous chance came at the end of the penalty from Chiarot as he and Larkin skated in on a little 3-on-2. Moments later, Larkin and Raymond were threatening on the doorstep smashing away at Bobrovsky but the netminder came up with the puck and a particularly violent scrum ensued.
Emily Caplan asked Paul Maurice during the commercial what he thinks about all the violence that’s already started in this game. His response: “Oh it’s all love out here.” Tip o’ the cap to the enemy’s general here. It’ll be 4-on-4 for the next two minutes with Perron and Bennett going off for offsetting roughing minors.
Tkachuk knocked Kane down with a booming crosscheck with no call that has the fans voicing their opinions. The Panthers flip the ice and have a truly glorious handful of chances but Lyon wrapped the goalmouth in Saran Wrap when no one was looking and the game remains scoreless with 4 to go.
Those final 4 minutes were too stressful for typing.
End 1. DRW 0 – FLA 0
2nd Period
Larkin’s line starts the second period, gets some sustained o-zone possession, and earn another man advantage as Bennett goes to the box for interference on Larkin. The power play units are all over the place in this game. There is no consistency in the lines, and there is a noticeable lack of cohesiveness as a result. After giving up a dangerous shorthanded chance, the Wings create some pressure and Bobrovsky loses his stick for a full minute, but the Wings are unable to get a shot on net during the opportunity.
5 minutes in and it’s time for a RRRRRRED WINGS POWER PLAY! Raymond keeps his feet moving and draws a tripping penalty. Now the unit is Sprong, Fabbri, Kane, Debrincat, and Seider. Credit to the Panthers’ penalty kill, but this Red Wing power play looks awful. An odd man rush for Florida gets turned around for a quick opportunity for the Wings. Kane feeds a wide open Debrincat, but Debrincat rings the pipe after Bobrovsky just gets the tip of the trapper on the puck and that’ll do it for another Red Wings 5-on-4. The Panthers send a guy over the boards as Stenlund comes out of the box and play with 6 men for probably 12 full seconds, but no arm in the air. That of course creates a dangerous chance for Florida, but Lyon stays strong.
The next shift is a quick rush for the Panthers, Lyon gives up a juicy rebound right to the slot and it’s easy pickins for Montour.
DRW 0 – FLA 1
Out of the commercial break, Kane gets a grade-A scoring chance, but Bobrovsky is able to get enough of the puck to send it over the crossbar. Next shift, Walman gets beat and holds his man at the half wall and it’s time for a shorthanded opportunity for Detroit.
Once again, Florida’s power play looks better than Detroit’s in every way, but once again, the Wings’ penalty killing is outstanding. Great play as a unit, and Lyon standing tall behind them. Unfortunately, the Panthers get a little puck luck as time expired on the penalty with the puck careening perfectly to Barkov who immediately puts it on Reinhart’s tape who snipes the corner.
DRW – FLA 2
Chiarot and Tkachuk get offsetting minors during a scrum after the goal and it’s 4-on-4 again. The Panthers look content to keep things on the boards and away from the center of the ice for the rest of the game. The Wings look like they’ve lost a step after playing the first 30 minutes at maximum intensity. Kane got a long breakaway and successfully deked Bobrovsky out of position, but then just softly backhanded the puck into Bobrovsky’s pads. A couple of shift later, Perron created a nice little threat, but Copp’s gonna Copp.
The scrums continue, and it’s time for a third 4-on-4 as Debrincat and Ekman-Larsson go off for offsetting minors which the both apparently find side-splittingly hilarious.
End 2 FLA 2 – DRW 0
3rd Period
The 4-on-4 continues into the final frame in regulation. Larkin gets a good look but misses the net. Tkachuk gets one too, but Lyon makes a solid blocker save. Florida forces Lyon to make several more saves in the first two minutes of the third including on a couple of odd-man rushes, and the Red Wings desperately need to flip the ice. At the three minute mark, the Panthers try an aggressive stretch pass and ice the puck. The Wings win the faceoff and it’s a shot on goal! Easy save for Bobrovsky with no one going to the net.
Several slow, soft plays on the puck by the Wings in their own zone force a couple more saves from Lyon. The Wings skaters are looking like they’re out of gas. A couple of uninspired shifts later, Evan Rodrigues banks one in off of Lyon’s shoulder.
FLA 3 – DRW 0
It’s all Florida this entire period. At the halfway mark, Tkachuk and Chiarot go at it again which of course means it’s time for the Red Wings to be shorthanded. The Panthers miss the net wide to Lyon’s blocker side several times and the penalty is killed without much fanfare. We make it a whole 40 seconds before there’s more unpleasantries exchanged. Pretty sure we’re going to come out of the commercial break on another kill.
Okay, apparently it’s a 4-minute Florida power play and Walman and Chiarot have been kicked out of the game? Not much of an explanation. Verhaeghe scores immediately.
FLA 4 – DRW 0
2 minutes remain on the penalties to Walman, who apparently got a game misconduct to go with two minor penalties. Chiarot was serving Walman’s penalties but left the ice for medical attention. Chiarot has returned to the box with 22 seconds remaining on Florida’s power play and 5 minutes remaining in the game.
With 3:29 to go, Fabbri and Lomberg mix it up in another scrum and the Wings will spend the rest of this game on the man advantage as Lomberg gets 4 minutes and both he and Fabbri get misconducts. Tanguay’s special teams continue to be utterly inept against this Panthers squad and that’ll do it.
Final Score: FLA 4 – DRW 0
Final Thoughts:
The Panthers are a better team, no doubt, but the Wings held with them extremely well for the first half of this game. The game script could have been dramatically different with a power play that didn’t look like wet dog food.
