Florida Panthers drop extra point against the Detroit Red Wings

Following a decisive home victory against a quality Anaheim Ducks group, the Florida Panthers were unable to continue their winning streak against the Red Wings at home.

The Red Wings pounced quickly against Florida as speed demon Andreas Athanasiou rifled a one timer into the back of the net (1-0 Wings). The goal came with Andreas left open in the slot, only to find himself alone with James Reimer. A bad defensive breakdown was not good so early and seemed as if the Panthers were going to get pounced.

However, that wasn’t quite the case as the Cats quickly responded with more momentum and effort later in the period. Evgenii Dadonov received a beautiful feed from offensive specialist Keith Yandle, who sent Dadonov alone on a breakaway. Unfortunately though, Jimmy Howard was there to make a miraculous save on Evgenii Dadonov.

The Cats mustered up 18 SOG against Jimmy Howard, but to no avail. This would signal the end of the first period and the Panthers would head into the locker room a goal down.

The second period commenced with the Cats roaring back from a 1-0 deficit. Jonathan Huberdeau eventually evened the score line with a redirection off the Mark Pysyk wrister:

After the goal, the Cats continued to apply relentless pressure in the offensive zone. Huby appeared to pot his 2nd goal of the contest, however, replay officials deemed goaltender interference, which completely wiped out the Florida lead momentarily.

As the 2nd period progressed with teams collectively pouring their hearts out for a highly necessary victory, the Panthers were awarded another power play opportunity. The cats managed to regain the lead, as Dadonov’s redirection off the dish from Vincent Trocheck propelled the Cats forward:

The lead disappeared rather quickly, as Gustav Nyquist wound up splitting the defense and finishing easily to knot things up at two apiece. The 2nd period siren rung, as both competitive teams headed straight towards their respective locker rooms tied at two.

The third period began with a plethora of scoring chances for opposing teams, however, none found the back of the net. Howard and Reimer shut down all opportunities heading their direction with their sensational play. The period concluded with both teams earning a hard-fought and well-deserved point.

As 3-on-3 overtime started, the Cats and Wings played mostly conservative, sprinkled in with some scoring chances turned aside, for the main objective of heading to a shootout. Both teams received stout goaltending between the pipes on the night, but one goalie would leave victorious in a game decided by a shootout in Sunrise.

All 3 Panthers’ shooters were denied by Jimmy Howard, but Reimer was unable to prevent Gustav Nyquist from scoring, which ultimately handed the Red wings the extra point in an exhilarating matchup in Florida:

The Florida Panthers fought hard, but unfortunately, not hard enough. They deserved the two points at the end of the contest, but that’s how the game of hockey goes sometimes. Your Cats are back in action against the explosive Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, October 30th @7:30pm.