Sunrise, FL – Wins the Panther Way.
Securing two more points in the tight division race, the Florida Panthers defeated the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday with a 4-1 score at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Panthers, which improved 46-29-4, are one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, finishing second in the Atlantic division, with three games remaining in the regular season.
Coach Paul Maurice, who made some personal history with his victory, won his 915th victory behind the bench, defeating tie against Barry Trotz (914) in third place on the NHL history list.
“My appreciation for things is the entire group here,” Maurice said of the feat. “How much do you enjoy sitting in the coach’s office, with Bill, with the equipment guys, the medical people, the players? If I were asked today for memories, it’s this group, that’s the fun we had, and we worked so hard.”
With Detroit on the board, Dylan Larkin set up Alex DeBlancutt from behind the net for the 36th day of the season at 6:13 in the first period.
To prevent the possibility of lead extension, Sergei Bobrovsky and the penalty kill rose to big to keep it in a one-goal game.
The Panthers stopped two opportunities during this period as they opposed the league’s fourth-place power play in Detroit, and tonight’s tilt was up at 27.6%.
Bobrovsky shut down the fears of the later period and denied Patrick Kane with an uncontested shot.
“It’s fun to watch,” Rodriguez said of Bobrovsky. “His habit is why every game he appears in, he doesn’t have a bad game. He’s been great for us, especially for the last few months.”
Answering the Panthers early in the second season of the power play, Rodriguez drove the net and found the string to make it 1-1 at 2:58 on the 15th goal of the season.
