5 Takeaways: Streaking Panthers Pick Up 2 More Points in Detroit

The Panthers keep finding ways to end up in the win column.
After going to overtime in each of their last four games - including a nail biter on Saturday night in the Motor City -- the red-hot Panthers needed only 60 minutes to extend their season-opening point streak to six games with a 3-2 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday.

"We don't care if it's overtime, regulation or a shootout," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said confidently. "We want to win and get two points. It was a hard game, obviously, but we came out with two points. That's huge for us and gives us a lot of confidence moving forward."
With the Panthers getting off to a slow start, Dylan Larkin leapt at an opportunity to strike first for the Red Wings, getting on his horse and using his speed to slip behind the defense before lifting a smooth backhand shot past goaltender Chris Driedger to make it 1-0 at 4:12 of the first period.
Trailing early in the second period, Patric Hornqvist evened the game up for the Panthers when he took a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau on the power play and jammed the puck through the pads of goaltender Thomas Greiss from in front to make it 1-1 only 2:03 into the middle frame.
"We kind of had a little bit of action off the start, just got into it quick," said Driedger, who faced down 13 shots from the Red Wings in the opening 20 minutes alone. "They came pretty hot. I thought after the first period we kind of buckled down and played some good hockey as a team."
Going back to the well on the power play, Aaron Ekblad then put the Panthers on top when he blasted home a one-timer on the man advantage to make it 2-1 at 15:04 of the second period.
Pulling away in the third period, Carter Verhaeghe added a crucial insurance goal when he re-directed a sensational pass from Barkov past Greiss to make it 3-1 with 11:51 left in regulation.
In the end, that goal would prove to be the game-winner as the Red Wings managed to get one back late when they pulled their goaltender and Anthony Mantha lit the lamp on the ensuing 6-on-5 advantage to create a little bit of drama and cut the deficit to 3-2 with 1:48 left in regulation.
Off to the second-best start in franchise history, the Panthers improved to 5-0-1 with the win.
"I thought when we've been behind we get ourselves back in the game rather quickly," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought we had a real tough first period. I thought Detroit came out strong, had a couple power plays, some extended zone time and scored right off the bat.
"And then we caught up to the game a little bit. Our pace in the second period, I thought we started playing a lot more the right way as far as going direct on attack. Be it off the rush or in the zone, we spent a lot of time in their end… We found a way to get the pace in our favor."
With the first road trip of the season in the books, it's time to head back down south.
Earning a rare respite in a jampacked schedule, Florida will have a few days to rest up and recharge before hosting Nashville for back-to-back games at BB&T Center on Feb. 4 and 5.
"It just feels like this is so nice that we've just got to keep going, got to keep working hard," Barkov said. "When we get back home, we have tough games coming up. We've just got to come to the rink and keep working hard, keep trying to win games and playing the right way."
Here are five takeaways from Sunday night's win in Detroit…

1. PATRIC POWER

Who else but Hornqvist?
With the Panthers on the power play, the 34-year-old veteran set up shop in his usual spot right outside the crease. Carving out some prime real estate, he then collected a centering feed from Huberdeau and jammed the puck through Greiss to make it 1-1 just 2:03 into the second period.
"He made a great individual play," Quenneville said.

Picked up from Pittsburgh in a savvy trade during the offseason, Hornqvist is fast becoming a fan favorite in South Florida. In addition to being tied for the team-lead in both goals (5) and points (7) through six games, the two-time Stanley Cup champion is also a leader on the ice.
"He brings experience," Barkov said. "[He brings] a winning mentality and hard work."
Of the seven points Hornqvist has tallied this season, five have come on the man advantage.

2. AN EK-BLAST

With a windup this big, you knew it was going in.
Back on the power play in the second period, Ekblad locked and loaded his stick before letting loose a powerful one-timer that flew past Greiss -- who had his hands full with Hornqvist in front -- and into the twine to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead with just 4:56 remaining in the middle frame.
"We just moved it around well and tried to get shots to the net," Ekblad told FOX Sports Florida's Jessica Blaylock in the second intermission. "I was just trying to hit it as hard as I can."

Only just beginning to enter his prime, Ekblad has hit the ground running after posting a career-high 41 points (five goals, 36 assists) in 2019-20. Through five games this season, the 25-year-old has tallied two goals and three assists while skating a team-high 25:49 of ice time per tilt.
"I thought he's had some big games," Quenneville said of Ekblad. "I thought he was really good tonight. I thought he was very physical, he was engaged, did a lot of good things, jumped in for his partner, a huge goal.
"He's playing important minutes, matchup minutes late in games. We've had a lot of games on the line here, five in a row. Those are a lot of big minutes and important minutes. He's meeting the challenge."

3. THE CAPTAIN AND CARTER

This is a duo that Panthers fans are enjoying getting used to.
Up 2-1 in the third period and looking to put the game away, Barkov dished out a tape-to-tape pass straight toward the slot and right onto the stick of Verhaeghe, who then re-directed the puck over Greiss and into the net to send the Panthers ahead 3-1 at 8:09 of the final frame.

Forming one of the NHL's most-potent lines early on this season, Barkov, Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair have been putting on a show seemingly every single time they touch the ice. Combing for 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) through six games, Barkov and Verhaeghe are tied for the team-lead in points (7), while Duclair is tied with Huberdeau for the most assists (6).
"Playing with them, they're great linemates," said Barkov, who has recorded a point in all but one game to start the season. "I really enjoy playing with them, giving them the puck and using their speed and making little plays."

4. SPECIAL TEAMS BATTLE

The Panthers found their groove on special teams during this road trip.
With their penalty kill going a flawless 3-for-3 tonight - including stifling a pair of opposing power plays within the first five minutes of the game - the Panthers finished their four-game trek away from home going an outstanding 15-for-16 (93.8%) in matchups against Columbus and Detroit.
"Special teams are going to be huge, especially when you get the familiarity of your division as you go along," Quenneville said. "We had some big kills to get through as well."
After allowing power-play goals in each of their first two games of the season against Chicago, Barkov credited a lot of the success on special teams to the extra week of practice the Panthers got after their two-game series at Carolina was postponed due to COVID-19 earlier this month.
"We had like three or four days to work on that part of our game," Barkov said. "For example, today and yesterday, [special teams] basically won us the games. We scored a couple goals on the power play and they didn't score any goals on their power play. Our penalty kill was really good."
Watching the action from between the pipes, Driedger said he's noticed the penalty killers doing a good job of pushing all of the opposition's shots to the outside in recent games.
"They're really locking it down," said Driedger, who stopped all nine shots he saw on the kill. "When the shots are from the outside, it makes my job a lot easier. Hats off to those guys."
Ranking near the bottom of the league on the power play at the start of their trip, the Panthers have managed to climb all the way back to 11th (81%) with their exceptional play as of late. As for the power play, they're sitting pretty with the third-best success rate in the league at 36.8%.

5. DREIDGER DOES IT AGAIN

Driedger did it again tonight.
Making his third start of the season, the 26-year-old turned aside 32 of 34 shots to improve to 2-0-1. Of those 32 saves, five came from high-danger areas, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

"I thought Driegs was outstanding tonight," Quenneville said.
Forming a formidable tandem in net with Sergei Bobrovsky, who is currently sitting at 3-0-0, Driedger has picked up right where he left off after bursting onto the scene last season. Over his first three appearances, he's stopped 89 of 95 shots for an outstanding .937 save percentage.
"I feel good," said Driedger, who owned a 7-2-1 record in 2019-20. "Every game under your belt is just a little more confidence in your back pocket. My approach has just been going out there and trying to enjoy it. It's been a lot of fun. We've been playing great as at team. It's been a lot of fun getting these wins. With winning comes more confidence. It's been a good start for us."