It was bound to happen at some point, but the Florida Panthers have finally suffered their first regulation loss of the season, falling 4-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.
This loss also snaps their point streak, however, Florida was able to bounce back a few days later.
Last Sunday series opener versus the Red Wings was nothing less than a horror show for Panthers fans, especially for backup goaltender Chris Driedger. Having a great start to the 2021 season, it wasn’t Driedger’s night to show out against Detroit. Although allowing three goals, Driedger managed to save the other 35 shots that came his way, notching a 0.921 percent save percentage.
“He made the save when we needed it and kept us in the game,” alternate captain Jonathan Huberdeau said.
Tuesday’s game was more of a wakeup call for Florida. For the Panthers, it was Sergei Bobrovsky in goal as he looked to have a better game than usual. Luckily for Florida, Bobrovsky did just that. While he gave up an easy Detroit goal pass through, Bobrovsky remained perfect on the rest of the night. “He was really good. He did what he had to do with a lot of traffic around the net. He kept his composure, which is a great bounce back for him.
“We needed him to hold the fort and he did,” Florida head coach Joel Quenneville said.
Last Tuesday’s match marked the second line made up of Patric Hornqvist, Huberdeau and Alexander Wennberg who caught fire. The hungry point-netters would notch five of six points, while also being the only offensive line to gain points. The Panthers would hold it out in the third period to get back on track with a 2-1 redemption win.
Star of the Series: C Alexander Wennberg (2G, 0A)
Center Alexander Wennberg finally notched his first two goals as a Panther in this series, with both of them coming at key times for the Panthers. This line between Wennberg, Hornqvist, and Huberdeau is very impressive.
“Lately we’ve come up with a few good goals,” Hornqvist said “It’s nice for Wenny to get some goals, he’s playing really well. We’ve got some traction here for sure.”
