Dylan Larkin scored a power-play goal 1:09 into overtime and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Wednesday night, snapping a 10-game losing streak in the head-to-head series.
Michael Rasmussen and Robby Fabbri scored in regulation for the Red Wings, who are 6-0-1 in their last seven games. Alex Lyon made 32 saves against his former team.
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“We've got our identity going and it's just been great,” Larkin said. “You are confident when your goaltender is playing like that, so it's a huge win.”
Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves. Florida has lost a season-high three straight (0-1-2).
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Reinhart’s short-handed goal that opened the scoring at 5:38 of the second period was significant for multiple reasons. It tied his career high of 33 and extended his NHL-record streak of games with a goal on special teams to eight. It also broke Pavel Bure’s 2000-01 record for the longest goal streak in Panthers history (seven games) and gave him his 500th career point.
“Anytime you're in a conversation with Pavel Bure, that's pretty cool,” Reinhart said.
Yet it wasn't enough. The Panthers wasted leads of 1-0 and 2-1, then headed to the penalty kill with 38.9 seconds left in regulation when Aaron Ekblad was called for hooking. Larkin scored with 13 seconds left in the Detroit power play to win it.
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“I think you can finish on some of the chances, you can do a little heavier defensively and there's a couple of other reasons too,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “You know what? We lost one (in regulation), we lost two in overtime, that's a 3-on-3 game or a 4-on-3 game and that's really not what the game of hockey is. I'm not disappointed. The thing I'm most frustrated about, I'm not answering. But we're not far off our game.”
It was Detroit's first game without forward Patrick Kane, who will also miss Friday's game in Carolina due to a lower-body injury. The injury is unrelated to the hip surgery he had in the offseason.
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov also missed the game with a minor lower-body issue due to “precautionary reasons.” He also missed the final minutes of regulation and overtime in a 5-4 loss to Anaheim on Monday.
Lyon was honored with a video tribute in his first game back in Sunrise since leaving the Panthers in free agency. He started every game of an eight-game winning streak which helped them secure a playoff spot and an eventual berth in the Stanley Cup Final last year.
“It's awesome,” Lyon said. “That's a very classy move and I have nothing but love for my time here. I appreciate that a lot and they have great fans in a great building.”
