5 Takeaways: Bobrovsky Makes 31 Saves as Panthers Beat Red Wings

SUNRISE, Fla. - Sergei Bobrovsky was calm and collected when it mattered most tonight.
After letting an early goal squeak past him, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner settled in to post his best performance of the season thus far between the pipes, turning aside 31 of the 32 shots he faced to lead the Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday at BB&T Center.

"He was really good tonight," Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said of Bobrovsky, who improved to 4-0-1. "On the first [goal] you could argue, and then all of the sudden he did what he had to do with a lot of business around the net… I thought he kept his composure. It was a bounce-back for him and a really good response. When we needed him to hold the fort, he did."
Not wasting any time in getting things going tonight, the Red Wings broke the ice just 3:31 into the first period when Filip Zadina took a pass from Dylan Larkin and snuck a shot from the left circle under Bobrovsky's blocker to put the Panthers in a 1-0 hole for the third straight contest.
Finding the back of the net for the second straight game, Alex Wennberg then managed to get Florida right back even at 1-1 when he beat goaltender Thomas Greiss from the slot at 15:54.
"He did some things tonight that really helped our team game," Quenneville said of Wennberg, who scored Florida's lone goal in Sunday's loss to Detroit. "But I thought that was a new level for him as well individually because I thought he did a lot of things that complimented our team."
On the power play in the second period, Patric Hornqvist, dug into his usual spot right around the net, gave the Panthers their first lead of the night when a shot from Aaron Ekblad bounced directly off the "A" on his sweater and over Greiss to make it 2-1 at 8:04 of the middle frame.
With less than 30 seconds remaining in the second period, Bobrovsky came up big, stopping a pair of Red Wings in rapid succession to keep the Panthers on top heading into the third period.
"A real big sequence there late in the second," Quenneville said of the saves.
From there, there were no goals to speak of for either team in the third period as the final 20 minutes of regulation turned into a battle between the two goaltenders. While Greiss only had to stop three shots in the final frame, Bobrovsky made 13 saves to stave off Detroit's late push.
With the win, the Panthers improved to an impressive 7-1-2 on the season.
"I felt good actually," said Bobrovsky, who returned to the crease after backing up in each of the last two games. "It's nice to be back, nice to play, to see some pucks. I thought the guys did a good job. In the beginning, I was a little bit scrambling. I wanted to go out and keep up my pace, go with a little higher intensity to be faster. The beginning was a little bit, like I said, scrambling, but as the game went on the guys did a good job to help me out. It was a good win for us."
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's win in Sunrise…

1. WENNBERG BACK AGAIN

Wennberg is starting to find his scoring touch this season.
After netting the lone goal in Thursday's loss to Detroit, the 26-year-old center was the first one to light the lamp for the Panthers tonight, taking a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau and sending a shot through Greiss' five-hole from the low slot to tie the game 1-1 at 15:54 of the first period.

"I thought he had a really good game tonight," Quenneville said. "Obviously scoring in the other game certainly helped him coming into tonight's game. He made several good plays tonight."
In the midst of his first season with the Panthers, Wennberg has played a key role as the club's second-line center and also as a penalty killer. In addition to posting four points (two goals, two assists) through 10 games, he also ranks second on the team in shorthanded minutes (29:03).
During the 4:01 that Wennberg spent on the penalty kill tonight, the Red Wings, who finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage, tallied only four shots on goal, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"You can really tell what kind of player he is," Hornqvist said of Wennberg. "Big goal for us."

2. OFF THE LETTER

There has to be some sort of symbolism here.
With the Panthers in desperate need of a goal, Hornqvist took one of for the team, absorbing a huge slap shot from Ekblad on the power play - the puck hit directly off the "A" on his jersey - and re-directing the blast right past Greiss to make it a 2-1 game at 8:04 of the second period.

"It felt good to see the puck go in," Hornqvist said of the goal. "Ekkie did a good job getting the puck through. I just tried to screen the goalie, it hit my chest and then it went in. It felt good."
A leader on and off the ice, Hornqvist has played a big role in Florida's hot start this season. As the net-front presence on the man advantage, he leads the team in goals on the power play (4) and is tied with Carter Verhaeghe for the most total goals (6). He also sits third in points (10).
"We've got some traction here, our line, for sure," Hornqvist said. With a 37 percent success rate, the Panthers are tied for first in the league on the power play.

3. HUBY'S HELPERS

Huberdeau had a hand in both of Florida's goals tonight.
By assisting on both Wennberg and Hornqvist's scored, the 27-year-old earned his fourth multi-point game of the season and upped his team-leading point total to 14 (four goals, 10 assists).
"I think that line had some really good cycle shifts," Quenneville said.
Already the franchise's all-time leader in assists, Huberdeau now needs to pick up just one more helper to reach a major personal milestone with the 300th assist of his budding career.
"Huby's a great player," Hornqvist said of his linemate.

4. BOB COMES UP BIG

After shaking off an early goal, Bobrovsky shut the door on the Red Wings.
Making 31 saves tonight, the 32-year-old was also one of Florida's best penalty killers, stopping all four shots he faced while shorthanded to stifle all three of Detroit's power play opportunities.
"He had to make some big, timely saves," Quenneville said of Bobrovsky, who denied six high-danger shots tonight. "It was one of those games when you look back goaltending was a factor."
When asked about his saves at the end of the second period - a huge turning point in tonight's victory - Bobrovsky said that the moment gave him a "boost of energy and boost of confidence."
"It's good to get those close games and close them out," said Bobrovsky, who is now 17-5-1 in his career against the Red Wings. "It gives us confidence in our defensive zone and coverage and [for] everybody on the team."

5. RESPONDING THE RIGHT WAY

When it comes to the components of a playoff team, this is certainly a key one.
Improving to 3-0-0 following losses this season, the Panthers continue to show a great ability to move past defeats and turn their attention to the next task at hand. Additionally, they've not only won those follow-up games, but played it cool in crunch time as all were decided by one goal.
Coming off a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings on Sunday, Quenneville appreciated the response.
"In today's game I thought we responded to a probably ordinary game the other day on Super Bowl Sunday," Quenneville said. "The guys responded yesterday with a good effort in practice and were real focused going into the game today."
Next up, the Panthers will kick off a three-game set with the rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.