5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers light up Red Wings for 10th straight win

The Cats keep on rolling.
Filling up the back of the net once again, the Panthers extended their season-long winning streak to 10 games with a 6-1 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday.
Improving to 54-15-6 and increasing their lead atop the Atlantic Division to 10 points over the Maple Leafs, the Panthers have also matched their single-season record for road wins (22).

"I didn't even really recognize it was 10 in a row," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "The last three or four, I've liked how we've managed the game and how we did the right things. We talked about it, and we're bringing it every night. Hopefully we can continue to build."
Following a scoreless first period, the Panthers opened the floodgates in the second.
After Anthony Duclair fired a cross-ice feed from Aleksander Barkov past Alex Nedeljkovic to open the scoring and make it 1-0 at 5:02, Sam Reinhart doubled the lead to 2-0 just 1:30 later when he ripped a pass from Mason Marchment into the back of the twine from the slot at 6:32.
Lighting the lamp for the third time against Detroit this season, Anton Lundell increased the lead to 3-0 when, after Marchment helped keep the puck in the offensive zone with some outstanding work on the forecheck, he jumped on a loose puck and rifled the rubber into the cage at 14:23.
Capping off the monster middle frame, Maxim Mamin scored to make it 4-0 at 14:51.
"We know how to play," Lundell said. "We just need to make it happen. Everybody needs to step up. We know a 0-0 game is not bad. We just trusted in ourselves and played as a team."
Adding another clip to his ever-growing highlight reel, Barkov forced a turnover on the penalty kill, shrugged off Calder Trophy contender Mortiz Seider on a breakaway and sent a between-the-legs pass back to a trailing Lundell for a slick goal to make it 5-0 at 5:04 of the third period.
"I just tried to rush and help him with the chance," Lundell said when asked to break down the incredible move from the captain. "I saw the D was right on him. I just tried to talk to him behind him. He had eyes in the back of his head and saw me. That's an unbelievable play by him."

Finally getting the Red Wings on the board, Pius Suter spoiled Knight's shutout bid when he slipped a shot through his five-hole to make it 5-1 at 12:04. But getting that goal right back for the Panthers, red-hot Gustav Forsling hammered home a one-timer to make it 6-1 at 13:14.
Improving to a perfect 5-0-0 in April, Knight finished with 33 saves. Setting a new franchise record by earning their 50th point of the season on the road, the Panthers have gone 18-5-2 for a league-leading 38 points away from home since Jan. 1.
"We seem to have taken another step and are playing much better on the road in the second half of the season," Brunette said. "Our road record has formed into a pretty good record, and you've got to win on the road to win the big Cup."
Here are five takeaways from Sunday's win in the Motor City…

1. THE SPARK

The Duke got the party started this afternoon.
Kicking off a four-goal outburst for the Panthers in the first period, Duclair teed up a cross-ice feed from Barkov and blasted it straight past Nedeljkovic to make it 1-0 in the second period.

"We have great confidence right now," Lundell said. "We have four lines who can score goals."
Increasing his career-high goal total to 31 - which ranks second on the Panthers - Duclair has lit the lamp three times over the last three games. With his line in total control of the offensive zone in Detroit, Florida led 7-3 in shots on goal over the 11:09 that he was deployed at 5-on-5.
Of his goals this season, 22 of have come at even-strength.

2. REINO'S GOAL

There was so much to like on this goal.
After Petteri Lindbohm deftly lifted the puck out of the defensive zone, Marchment took the biscuit and dished it to Reinhart for a goal from the slot to make it 2-0 in the second period.
On the play, Lindbohm picked up his first point as Panther.

As for Reinhart, the elite offseason acquisition continues to shine. Extending his point streak to five games with a goal and an assist in Detroit, he's accumulated 11 points (four goals, seven assists) during that torrid stretch to up his career-high points total to 76 (28 goals, 48 assists).
Since March 5, Reinhart has earned at least one point in 17 of 21 games.

3. ROOKIE SENSATION

Lundell seems to love this matchup.
Facing down two other top rookies on the Red Wings (Lucas Raymond and Seider), Florida's Calder Trophy contender came out on top once again with a pair of goals in a winning effort.
In two games against Detroit this season, Lundell has lit the lamp four times.

Despite being limited to 60 games due to an injury, the 20-year-old has registered 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) during his rookie campaign. With seven games left on the schedule, he needs just seven more points to tie Jesse Belanger for the most ever by a rookie in club history (50).
"It's been so fun to play on this team," said Lundell, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. "Every game we have a great chance to win. We just need to play our game every game. It's not easy to win in this league, but when we play this way we have a great chance to win."
As for the work Barkov put in on Ludell's shorthanded tally, Brunette wasn't surprised.
"He's a world-class player," Brunette said of the captain's incredible skills. "He makes plays like that every day. We're spoiled because we're used to it. A tremendous play from a great player."

4. DEPTH SCORING

There aren't many fourth lines in the NHL that could pull this off.
Touching twine for the second straight game, Mamin pushed the Panthers ahead 4-0 in the second period when he settled down a stunning saucer pass from Eetu Luostarinen before tucking the puck around Nedeljkovic and across the goal line with a beautiful finishing move.

It was Mamin's seventh goal and Luostarinen's 23rd point of the season.
"I like our depth," Brunette said. "Obviously we're a hard team to play against, and a major reason is how deep we are up front. We have four lines that can contribute every night."
With depth not being limited to just the forwards, Forsling also continued to chip in from the back end with his laser of a goal that made it 6-1 in the third period. Catching fire, the smooth-skating blueliner has recorded seven goals in his last nine games to up his career-high point total to 35.
Bolstered by this all-around attack, the Panthers lead the NHL with 314 goals this season.

"It's been very fun," Lundell said. "A lot of goals the whole season. When we're playing good we see that it works, so we don't need to change that much. Just small details we can do better. When we do those better, it just makes us an even more dangerous team to play against."

5. KNIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON

Knight was in the zone this afternoon.
In stopping 33 of 34 shots in Detroit - including all six he saw on the penalty kill - the rookie, who will turn 21 on Tuesday, improved to 18-8-3 with a .909 save percentage this campaign.
Of his saves, eight came on shots from high-danger areas, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

"I felt pretty good," Knight said. "They came at us early. They have a lot of good young players. They had some chances. It was a tight game. I just tried to do my best to give the guys a chance to get a lead."
On a personal five-game winning streak, Knight, who has formed a potent tandem Sergei Bobrovsky, has been on quite the run since coming back up from the AHL in early March.
Over his last 10 games, he's posted a 9-2-1 record with a .926 save percentage and one shutout.
"They're both extremely sharp right now," Brunette said of the goalies. "It's good to see."