After losing each of their first four games by just one goal, this one felt a long time coming.
"We needed it really bad," said Huberdeau, who finished the game tied for the team lead with three points (one goal, two assists). "I was scared at some point in the third. They were coming hard, but I think we stuck to the game plan. We were up 4-1 in the game, for sure, but we've got to take the positives out of it. A big win in the shootout. Now we've got to go back out tomorrow and get another win, too."
With a three-point performance against the Capitals, Trocheck took over Florida's scoring lead with seven points (two goals, five assists) through five games. Dubbed the "the engine" of the Panthers last season by head coach Bob Boughner, the 25-year-old center had his best game of the season thus far in D.C., playing his heart out over a season-high 26:02 of ice time.
"Holy s---, I'm tired," said an exhausted Trocheck, who also compiled two hits, two blocks and three takeaways in the win. "A long game. They're a good team… Showed a lot of character that we were able to stay with it and get that win." Given the quick turnaround between games, the Panthers will likely deploy a very similar lineup on Saturday night to the one they used against the Capitals - minus one big change on the blue line. After taking a hit up high from Ovechkin in the defensive zone, Mark Pysyk left last night's game at 2:35 of the second period with an undisclosed injury and did not return.
Boughner had no updates on Pysyk after the game, but it's safe to say he is questionable to play against the Red Wings. In his place, Mike Matheson will slide back into the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for an incident involving Canucks forward Elias Pettersson.
"If you see the replay, it's a headshot," Boughner said of Ovechkin's hit. "The league's trying to clamp down on that. Whether there's no call, I don't blame the refs. Maybe they missed it. That happens. Those are the kind of plays that need to be reviewed."
With Florida's win, the Red Wings (0-5-2) now stand as the only team in the league without a victory this season. Detroit is coming off a 3-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday night and has surrendered an eye-popping 23 goals over its last four games. As it stands now, the team is allowing 4.57 goals per game on average, which ranks dead last among the league's 31 clubs.
As they attempt to string together their first winning streak of the season, Detroit's leaky defense bodes well for the Panthers, who average a league-best 3.58 goals per 60 minutes at 5-5 play.
"We know that when we play our game and a full 60 minutes, we can play with anyone in this league," said Panthers forward Colton Sceviour, who scored his first goal of the season against the Capitals. "A lot of guys were here when we showed it last year, and now we see the impact of that."
