Florida's Clawing Attempts Not Enough For Red Hot Detroit Team

In Sunrise, Florida the Detroit Red Wings (28-11-9) took on a Florida Panthers (20-15-10) team that is looking to find its way into a playoff spot currently ranked one spot away from the second wild card spot in the east. While the Detroit Red Wings are looking to capture first place in the Atlantic division with a win and a Tampa Bay Lightning loss.

In the first period the Red Wings looked to get of to a bad start when they started to take penalties early in the game. But yet it was still them who got on the board first with a short handed goal by Drew Miller off of a bad break for Florida when rookie Aaron Ekblad miss plays a clearing attempt by Detroit, which allow Miller to have a break away and put the wings up 1-0. Then a little over a minute later the Panthers gain momentum once the Detroit takes another penalty resulting in a 5-3 for the Panthers in which they capitalise with Aleksander Barkov scoring the power play goal. With Florida still on the power play forward Brandon Pirri sneaks one past goalie Petr Mrazek to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead to end the first.

To kick of the Second period it becomes all Red Wings from there where just 30 seconds into the game Henrik Zetterberg finds the back of the net for his 15th goal of the season to tie the game at 2's. Detroit then continues to pressure Florida in their zone forcing a costly turnover and a Luke Glendening goal to give the Wings a 3-2 lead mid way through the second period. The Wings then are able too capitalize two more unanswered scoring chances in the second with goals by former Panther Stephen Weiss and Luke Glendening who scores his second of the game forcing Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo (replaced by Al Montoya) out of the game after allowing 5 goals on 17 shots, and a 5-2 Red Wing lead. But the game is still far from over as the Panthers try to engage a spark as Detroit takes a bad penalty and Florida's Nick Bjugstad takes advantage to cut the lead to 5-3 to end the second.

In the third it is Florida pressuring all the way trying whatever they can to cut the lead down to one, as Brad Boyes answers the call ten minutes in and makes it only a 5-4 Detroit lead. As the game starts to wind down to a close with two and a half minutes to go the Red Wings take another bad penalty giving Florida and their ever so hot power play this game another opportunity, but this time they have an opportunity to tie up the game. Florida then makes it 6 on 4 by pulling goalie Montoya to throw everything they got at Detroit totalling for a 41-27 shot differential in favour of Florida, but all for not as Petr Mrazek shuts the door and the Detroit Red Wings hold off the Panthers Clawing attempts to hold on to the victory.