5 Takeaways: Heponiemi Leads Panthers to Overtime Win in NHL Debut

Aleksi Heponiemi didn't have to wait long to check a few career milestones off his list.
Taking the ice in the first NHL game of his career, the 22-year-old rookie scored in overtime to lead the Panthers to a thrilling 3-2 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night.

"I don't know what to say," said Heponiemi, cracking a big smile after a brief pause while trying to summarize the moment. "It's just an amazing feeling, just getting those first couple nervous shifts out of the away. I was just enjoying the ice time. Q [Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville] putting me out there for an important moment means a lot. It's just an amazing feeling."
Per NHL PR, Heponiemi is just the fourth player to ever score an overtime goal in their NHL debut, joining Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov (2021), Calgary's Tim Sweeney (1990) and Brooklyn's Nick Knott (1941).
"We're very pleased with what we saw," Quenneville said. "Give the kid a lot of credit."
After falling behind 1-0 in each of the last two games, the Panthers struck first in the Motor City when Aleksander Barkov sent a pass from behind the net toward the blue paint that went off a defender's stick and past goaltender Thomas Greiss to make it 1-0 just 3:06 into the first period.
At 15:02, Anthony Mantha answered for the Red Wings, flying down the slot and connecting on an uncontested shot from right in front of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 1-1. A little bit later, Tyer Bertuzzi then put the Panthers in a 2-1 hole when he scored off a rebound at 16:59.
But, with time ticking away in the opening frame, the Cats clawed their way back.
With the Panthers on the power play, Keith Yandle dashed toward the net and sent a quick shot past Greiss to tie the game 2-2 heading into the first intermission. Upon further review, the puck crossed the goal line with only about 0.6 seconds left on the clock - talk about cutting it close!
Oddly enough, those four goals would be the only ones scored during regulation, as both teams played to a scoreless stalemate during the second and third periods before heading to overtime.
Earning a shift in the extra frame after looking solid during regulation, Heponiemi nearly assisted on the game-winning goal after sending Anthony Duclair up on ice for a breakaway. But on that same offensive possession, it was actually Duclair that then floated a puck across the crease to Heponiemi, who deftly whacked the puck out of mid-air past Greiss for the winning goal at 2:45.
Not a bad way to start your NHL career, eh?
"He's got great instincts," Quenneville said of Heponiemi. "He's a threat. He plays the right way. You're comfortable with him without the puck. It was a great play by The Duke [Duclair] getting it across to him, but great hands, great finish, great touch, huge win for us as well."
With the win, the Panthers (4-0-1) extended their season-opening point streak to five games.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday's overtime win in Detroit…

1. BARKOV BREAKS THE ICE

Something, something pucks on net.
With the Panthers on the power play, Barkov took a sweet dish from Jonathan Huberdeau and then quickly sent a pass toward the crease from behind the net that ricocheted off the stick of Danny Dekeyser's stick and into the back of the cage to make it 1-0 at 3:06 of the first period.

The 157th goal of his career, Barkov is now tied with Scott Mellanby - yes, Mr. Rat Trick himself - for the second-most goals in franchise history. After that, the 25-year-old forward will need just 31 more to catch Olli Jokinen's all-time record of 188, which has stood for more than a decade.
In five games this season, Barkov has registered six points (two goals, four assists).

2. BUZZER BEATER

The Panthers beat both the goaltender and the clock on this one.
Earning a power play late in the first period, Yandle skated down toward the net and fired a shot toward the cage that flew straight past Greiss and crossed the goal line with less than a second left on the clock to even things up and make it a 2-2 contest heading into the first intermission.

At the time, Yandle wasn't quite sure he'd beat the clock.
"I looked up and I think there was five or six seconds left, and then I looked up after I scored and it said zero seconds," Yandle said. "I kind of was thinking we'd missed our chance, but it was nice to get that one, especially to get a little momentum going into the next period."
Racking up four points through five games to start the season, Yandle has been up to his old tricks on the man advantage. Manning the point on Florida's top unit, he's already racked up three points (one goal, two assists) on the power play, which went 2-for-3 tonight in Detroit.
In 2019-20, Yandle ranked eighth among NHL defensemen with 21 points on the power play.

3. PIPING HOT PK

After a slow start, the Panthers have found their rhythm on the penalty kill.
Going a perfect 4-for-4 tonight against the Red Wings - including killing off three consecutive power plays in the second period - the Panthers are now 12-for-13 over their last three games. Since their opening series against the Blackhawks, the improvement has been very noticeable.
Over their four power plays, the Red Wings mustered only five shots on goal.
"Our penalty killing the last couple games has been excellent," Quenneville said. "I think we learned. Chicago's got a good power play as well, got us off to a tough start in that area. I thought it was a good response."
While Noel Acciari, who skated a game-high 5:06 on the penalty kill tonight, continues to be the centerpiece of the team's success while shorthanded, Quenneville also noted that rookie Eetu Luostarinen, who skated 2:46 on the penalty kill tonight, has been a great addition to that unit.
"I thought he had an outstanding game," Quenneville said of Luostarinen, who is just 13 games into his NHL career. "He was good in a lot of those defensive situations. He's got a pretty good stick and he's a pretty clever player in some tight areas."

4. BOBROVSKY'S BIG TOE SAVE

If it wasn't for this save, the Panthers likely would've never reached overtime.
With the game knotted at 2-2 and a little over three minutes left in the third period, Bobrovsky sprawled out to deny a golden scoring opportunity from Mathias Brome with an epic toe save.

"It was tough," Bobrovsky said of the save. "I tried to stay focused and stay patient as much as possible and just outwait him. That little bit gave me enough time to get a piece of [the puck]."
Improving to 3-0-0, this was without a doubt the best start of the season so far for Bobrovsky, who turned aside 25 of 27 shots - including three from high-danger areas - to lock in the win.
"He was great," Yandle said of Bobrovsky. "He makes tough saves look really easy."

5. HEPONIEMI DEBUTS

Heponiemi wasn't thinking about being a hero when he stepped onto the ice in overtime.
"I didn't really think too much," he said. I was just happy to get out here, ready for the shift."
Yet, when the spotlight was on him, the young Finn shined the brightest, whacking a cross-crease pass from Duclair out of mid-air and into the net to give the Panthers a 3-2 victory.

"It was obviously a great call by Q [Quenneville] getting him out there," Yandle said. "To score your first goal in your first game in overtime, obviously you'll always remember you first one, but he's going to be telling his great grandkids about that one, as he should."
Like Yandle, Heponiemi also gave Quenneville a lot of credit for giving him a shot.
"I don't think a lot of coaches would do that," said Heponiemi, who had been earning rave reviews from coaches while skating with Florida's taxi squad prior to today. "It means a lot. You've got to earn that ice time. I don't know, maybe I did. It means a lot. It's a great feeling."
Although it was late in Finland, Heponiemi expects that plenty of his friends were watching.
"I guess I'll find out tomorrow," he said.
UP NEXT:Florida will close its their back-to-back with Detroit on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.