The Florida Panthers pulled off a miracle on Thursday night, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 at Amerant Bank Arena. According to ESPN, it was the Cats' first three-goal rally since Dec. 19, 2025, against the Carolina Hurricanes, which they won 4-3 in a shootout.
On a special night honoring the veterans, the Panthers scored first with Sam Reinhart's 11th of the year, but the home team's lead lasted all of 15 seconds before the Red Wings rattled off four straight. Forsling eventually cut the deficit to 4-2, then Anton Lundell tallied two, including the game-winner, while Lars Eller tied the game at 4-4. After a shaky performance through two periods, Akira Schmid stopped all eight shots in the third to earn another victory with 24 saves.
Claw: Carter Verhaeghe reaches 20 points with another three-point night
Before puck drop, Carter Verhaeghe had 17 points in 19 games, and with his second three-point game of the season, he’s now up to 20 points, bumping his points-per-game average to 1.00. Moreover, with a plus-3 evening, Verhaeghe now trails only Lars Eller, who was plus-4 and bumped his season total to plus-10, for the lead in the category. Now with 10 goals and 10 assists, he joins Brady Tkachuk as the only Panthers players to reach double digits in both categories.
Flaw: Akira Schmid continues to make victories difficult
After Jacob Markström started back-to-back games, splitting the contests 1-1, Schmid was tapped as Thursday’s starter. Previously, against the Red Wings, he didn’t get to play, and the Original Six club picked up a 5-3 win on home ice. Now, with a fresh face in the crease, head coach Paul Maurice hoped to change the win probability statistics in his favor.
From the onset, it didn’t appear that the Panthers would walk away from this one in one piece, but they managed to rally from a three-goal deficit, which fell on the shoulders of Schmid to make timely saves. It took five games for the Swiss netminder to record his first .900 SV% before collecting three in a row. However, in his previous start, he produced an .871 SV% before tying his second-lowest mark of the season with an .857 SV% against the Red Wings.
At several points throughout the broadcast, both John Buchigross and Erik Johnson discussed how the Panthers' goalies are the only real question mark surrounding the club. But Johnson came to the defense of Markström, believing he could be the one to carry the team to another Stanley Cup. We will see if that is true or not.
Claw: Panthers get contributions beyond the Tkachuk brothers
On Thursday, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk combined for a total of two points, each picking up an assist on Lundell’s game-winning goal. As time ticked off the clock, Brady may have already won the “No Look Pass of the Year” award, setting up Lundell from the other end of the ice with a backhand pass while falling down. Even though the Tkachuks both factored into the winning goal, Brady had four shots, and Matthew had none, while the brothers combined for eight hits. Ultimately, with Eller, Lundell, Reinhart, and Forsling scoring, they took the pressure off the brothers to carry the team night in and night out. It feels refreshing to see the Panthers not only rally, but also receive contributions throughout the lineup instead of relying on their top line.
Claw: Panthers deliver another early candidate for game of the year
The 2026-27 season may be only 20 games old, and the Panthers have had some magical moments along the way. First, there was their thrilling overtime win in Game 1 against the Hurricanes, and then Brady Tkachuk’s heroic natural hat trick against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 15. Now, fans will have to add Florida’s epic third-period comeback over the Red Wings to the list of best games of the season thus far. After a rough weekend with back-to-back losses and a bounceback performance on Tuesday, the comeback win over Detroit could be the springboard the club desperately needs to go on a run, get away from the wildcard picture, and set their sights on the top spots in the division.
What’s next for the Panthers?
At least the Panthers gave the hometown crowd something to cheer about in their brief appearance at Amerant Bank Arena, since the team is headed west to face the St. Louis Blues on Saturday and then visit the Dallas Stars next week.
Add us as a preferred source on Google