Panthers Never Lead as Detroit Ends Their Streak at Three, 5-3 in Sunrise
Two Detroit goals in 45 seconds early in the third period flipped a 2-2 game, and Florida's 6-on-5 push got only one goal back on the night Jacob Markstrom returned to the net.
The Florida Panthers saw their winning streak snapped at three games Monday night, falling 5-3 to the Detroit Red Wings at Amerant Bank Arena in a game they never led. Rookie Carter Mazur scored the first goal of his NHL career from the left circle at 5:26 of the first period, and although Sam Reinhart answered at 14:19 — his third straight game with a goal, extending his point streak to four — Detroit went back in front 1:26 into the second on Alex DeBrincat's seventh goal of the season, off an odd-man rush.
Florida tied it again in the strangest way of the night. With Detroit on a power play and Jacob Markstrom making a run of penalty-kill saves in his first game back from an upper-body injury — he had last played on October 17 — Aaron Ekblad banked a shot off former Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov's skate and in at 15:25 of the second, the third shorthanded goal of Ekblad's career. Markstrom finished with 24 saves. The Panthers carried the play by the underlying numbers, leading scoring chances 43-23 and expected goals 4.58 to 3.96, according to the figures the club cited from Natural Stat Trick — and lost anyway.
The game turned in 45 seconds early in the third. Justin Faulk blasted a power-play slap shot past a screened Markstrom at 2:08, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard doubled the lead to 4-2 at 2:53. Florida pulled Markstrom for a 6-on-5 advantage and Sam Bennett deposited a pass from Matthew Tkachuk at 16:40 to make it 4-3, but Emmitt Finnie's empty-net goal in the final seconds closed it. Tarasov made 23 saves to beat his former team.
"I think that was a really strong game by Detroit," head coach Paul Maurice said in the club's published recap. "I wasn't in love with ours." Markstrom, for his part, said his body felt good in his return and that he wished the result had been different. The loss leaves Florida at 8-5-2, and the Panthers get their chance to start a new streak Wednesday, when the Chicago Blackhawks visit Sunrise for a nationally televised 7:30 p.m. ET game.
