#LGRW Final: Panthers clip Red Wings in overtime, 3-2

DETROIT -- In a season in which divisional alignment has been largely mixed and matched, the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers went head-to-head in a familiar battle on Saturday night, with the visitors claiming a 3-2 win in overtime at Little Caesars Arena.

Florida's Aleksi Heponiemi scored his first NHL goal in his first-career NHL game with 2:45 remaining in overtime, securing the Panthers' fourth win of the season (4-0-1). Detroit earned a point and turned in another solid home performance, but dropped to 2-5-2 overall. Florida earned its seventh straight victory over the Red Wings, dating back to the 2018-19 season.
Detroit will look to secure its third consecutive split at home when the Red Wings and Panthers wrap up the series on Sunday afternoon from Little Caesars Arena.
Despite not coming away with two points, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill was pleased with his team's approach and disposition.
"We were better (tonight). There was a few times, if we wanted the puck way more, we can still do a better job of making hard plays to get it out when we're in trouble," Blashill said. "Just that balance between having poise and making tape-to-tape passes and when you're in trouble, making hard plays. I thought we were way better in that area, because of that I thought we were able to get pressure on them way more.
"They certainly had their moments of pushing and had their chances. We've got to find a way to win in the specialty battle tomorrow and play similar five-on-five. We've got to defend great; we've got to defend gaps and we've got to end plays early, and we've got to play and attack on offense."

It was a lively opening period for both teams, literally down to the final second. Aleksander Barkov got the Panthers on the board first with a power play goal just over three minutes into the contest (16:54). From behind the goal, he flipped the puck toward the net, and it collided off Danny DeKeyser's stick and into the back of the net.
The Red Wings' Anthony Mantha tied the game, 1-1, after scoring his second goal of the season with 4:58 remaining in the opening period. He started the play by catching the puck near the blue line in Florida's zone, and turning defense into offense. Taro Hirose eventually ended up with the puck on his stick, and fired a shot. Mantha finished the sequence by rebounding the puck into an open net.

Tyler Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead with another opportunistic goal less than two minutes later (3:01), his fourth in as many games and fifth of the season. The lead lasted exactly three minutes. Florida stole momentum at the end of the frame by capitalizing on an attacking sequence that resulted in Keith Yandle scoring his second goal of the season with less than one second remaining. Both teams headed into the dressing room at the first intermission with the game tied, 2-2.

As active as the first period was, the second frame featured zero goals, and both teams taking their turns controlling the puck. Three tripping penalties were committed -- one by Detroit and a pair by Florida -- but all three were killed, and the period went scoreless, ending in a 2-2 tie. The Panthers committed a holding penalty with 29.7 seconds remaining, giving Detroit the man advantage for the opening 90 seconds of the ensuing third period.
The Red Wings had a pair of key scoring chances mid-way through the third, with captain Dylan Larkin and Mantha both firing aggressive shots at Bobrovsky, who turned one away and did enough to cut off a scoring angle on the other. Newcomer Mathias Brome was also stoned with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, making a spectacular move that left the puck just shy of the goal line. The score remained tied, 2-2, heading into the three-on-three overtime session.
The Panthers ended the game, and tallied their fourth win of the season, with 2:45 remaining in the extra session. On a broken play, Anthony Duclair kept the puck in the offensive zone, passed it to an attacking Heponiemi, who fielded it in mid-air, and chipped it into the back of the net for the 3-2 win.
"I thought our whole game, at five-on-five, was solid," Larkin said. "We used the 'D,' the 'D' got pucks to the net. We scored a couple goals winning battles and getting second and third opportunities. That's how we have to play. We have to rim out and use the 'D.' They've got to spread it out and get pucks to the net, which they did tonight. We've got to be hungry there for the pucks."
Sunday's series finale will begin at 5 p.m., in recognition of Little Caesars' $5 Hot-N-Ready Classic Pizza. Little Caesars will serve as the presenting sponsor of a pair of Sunday matinees -- this Sunday (Jan. 31) and March 14.