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SUNRISE, Fla. — In a possible first-round NHL playoff matchup – should they make the it – the Detroit Red Wings showed some mettle.
They scored in the first period and withstood a late charge Saturday by the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena, ultimately settling for a 3-2 loss in a shootout.
“It’s definitely tough,” Wings’ David Perron said. “I think we gave it all we had, played a really solid team game. It’s a big point. We knew it was going to be a hard battle.”
The game was physical, but the Wings pushed back, and did so without taking penalties. It was the Panthers who were shorthanded for the sixth time of the game a minute into overtime, and who were in the penalty box when Robby Fabbri scored in the first period and Dylan Larkin in the third.
“We played hard and blocked a lot of shots,” Larkin said. “Guys were battling through the flu. We got a tough bounce on their second goal and we responded. Just didn’t get it done in overtime.”
Larkin scored with four minutes left in regulation, less than a minute after Aleksander Barkov celebrated his second goal of the day when Moritz Seider accidentally tipped the puck into his own net. That’s the kind of composure needed from a team desperate for points.
“Loved it,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “And the way that goal went in, it would be easy to get down. But you could see it, they were engaged — stay in it, nothing changes. It was actually impressive to watch.”
The Wings are trying to edge into the playoff picture. The Panthers already have clinched, but they’re battling the Boston Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division, and the Bruins, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference.
That could potentially mean a meeting with the Wings, who lost both games against the Panthers in Detroit and won in overtime in Florida in January.
The Wings finish up their tough road trip Monday at the Tampa Bay Lightning.
DEREK LALONDE: Detroit Red Wings need results, but this isn’t ‘throw tables’ time
A scare and a score
Larkin left the ice gingerly and with help after getting hit in the knee by a puck during the opening shift, about the last thing the Wings needed to see given their circumstances. But it looked worse than it was, and Larkin was back on the ice about midway through the period, in time to take the draw against Kevin Stenlund on a power play. Larkin did not play another shift in the period after that second one. Florida’s penalty killers blocked the WIngs’ first two attempts, but Fabbri succeeded on his second attempt, firing a shot from the right circle that eluded Sergei Bobrovsky and gave the Wings some confidence.
Excellent goaltending
There was 7:39 left in the third period when two of Florida’s top players, Barkov and Aaron Ekblad, paired up to make it 1-1, and 4:56 left when they scored a go-ahead goal. Alex Lyon finished with 37 saves, two in overtime, earning “Alex was excellent” praise from his coach.
Lyon hasn’t collected a win since Feb. 27, but Saturday’s performance built on the superb showing he had in the 1-0 loss in Nashville.
“Al was awesome, unbelievable game by him,” Perron said.
Cool heads prevail
Ekblad was in the penalty box when Larkin scored, after a scrum with Alex DeBrincat that landed both in the box for roughing. Perron and Sam Bennett were also assessed offsetting penalties, but otherwise, the Wings only had to kill off one penalty, to Seider, for delay of game.
“Ekblad is going to end up in the WWE soon,” Lalonde said. “If he’s smart, he’ll get a new contract in that league. But I think our guys managed it well with a little pushback, but keeping our heads about us, too. We were emotionally involved, which was really good. Good sign on the group.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
Next up: Lightning
Matchup: Red Wings (36-30-8) vs. Tampa Bay (40-25-7 entering Saturday).
Puck drop: 7 p.m. Monday; Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit Extra; WWJ-AM (950).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings get key point, but lose in shootout to Panthers