RECAP: Panthers 2, Red Wings 0

DETROIT – Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside all 22 shots that came his way to help lead the Florida Panthers to a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.

With the win, Bobrovsky improved his career record against Detroit to an incredible 25-6-1.

“It’s a great win,” said Bobrovsky, who appeared in the 650^th game of his NHL career. “Obviously you don’t think too much about your career achievement and your personal achievement. I think we all focus now on the standings, and that team is ahead of us. We have to catch them.”

Earning points in six of their last seven games, the Panthers now sit at 5-3-1.

“Things are coming together for us slowly,” said Bobrovsky, who’s gone 4-1-1 in his last six starts. “We’ve built chemistry and the atmosphere in the locker room. It’s great to be part of it.”

Making history the moment he stepped onto the ice, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov became the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (672). The former second-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft already stood as the club’s all-time leader in goals (245) and points (639).

“He hasn’t changed,” said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, both a current and former teammate of the Finnish phenom. “He’s the exact same player. He came into the league and he was really good, and he’s still really good.”

The first period came and went without either team finding the back of the net. Both earned one power play, but couldn’t turn good looks in goals. James Reimer was particularly strong on the penalty kill, making six saves during Florida’s early flurry with the extra attacker.

It would remain scoreless until the final minute of the second period when Steven Lorentz fired a wrist shot from the left circle in transition that clipped off Reimer’s glove, hit the cross-bar and then landed in the blue paint before being knocked in by Detroit to make it 1-0 at 19:08.

“It felt good,” Lorentz said. “Any time you get a goal in the first of the last minute of a period, it’s a bit of a backbreaker for the other team. I was just trying to shoot it hard on net and was fortunate enough to get a bounce. Hopefully those bounces start coming our way a little more.”

Putting the Panthers in position to strike, the penalty kill successfully stifled three more power plays for the Red Wings in the second period. Making that feat even more impressive is the fact that Detroit entered the matchup with the fourth-ranked power play in the NHL at 32.4%.

“I knew we were good,” Kulikov said of the success on the PK. “We just needed some confidence. Obviously the best penalty killer is our goalie. Bob was unbelievable.”

Faced with one last big kill late in the third period, the Panthers surrendered just two shots on goal – Bobrovsky stopping them both, of course – to keep Detroit’s power play contained once again.

With 1:12 left in regulation, Anton Lundell cashed in on the empty net to seal the 2-0 win.

“We won a bunch of faceoffs,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the team’s 5-for-5 performance on the penalty kill. “Our faceoff numbers were really good. That’s a 12-15 second clear every time you win and get one down. The faceoffs were the driver, and then the blocked shots.”

Dominant in the dot, the Panthers won 64.4% of their faceoffs.

THEY SAID IT

“Stay focused, stay with the moment. We’ve got our trigger points, and I thought our guys did great with the pressure. They took away the time and space from their top guys. It’s huge for us.” – Sergei Bobrovsky on a perfect night for the penalty kill

“Just a complete team effort. I think we were on it from the start of the game. We came out really good, started putting pucks on net and spending time in their zone. We didn’t really give them a chance to get their offense going except for the power plays.” – Dmitry Kulikov on the win

“It was nice that we just found a way. Good teams find a way to win those games, and those are the games that add up towards the end of the season so you’re not clawing and scratching for a playoff spot. Those wins that are a little bit more dirty, those are the ones that you feel make you better.” – Steven Lorentz on the importance of picking up points early in the season

“We have to grind a little bit. Scoring’s not easy for us right now, and that’s fine. We’ll learn how to battle and grind and keep games tight. We’re a pretty good defensive team right now with a lot of new faces in our lineup. I think we’re pretty pleased with where we’re at.” – Paul Maurice on how the Panthers have started the season

CATS STATS

- Since 2020-21, Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 10-1-0 record against Detroit.

- The Panthers owned 76.19% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 when Dmitry Kulikov was deployed.

- Florida posted 1.19 expected goals on the power play, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

- Niko Mikkola has recorded a point in three straight games.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Just one more stop before heading home.

Picking up three out of a possible four points on their trip thus far, the Panthers will end their three-game trek against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.