Panthers beat struggling Red Wings 4-3 in shootout

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

By PAUL HARRIS

DETROIT (AP) Jonathan Huberdeau and the Florida Panthers refused to let a terrible first period ruin their entire night.

After trailing by three goals, the Panthers roared back and beat the struggling Detroit Red Wings 4-3 when Huberdeau scored the only goal in a shootout Monday.

Florida, which has won six of eight, was down 3-0 after the opening period.

"We showed some resiliency and we stuck to our plan," coach Bob Boughner said. "We told the guys after the first period that we weren't that bad, but they got some breaks and they ended up in our net."

Jared McCann, Henrik Borgstrom and Jayce Hawryluk scored in the second for Florida to tie it.

Roberto Luongo allowed three goals on eight shots before being replaced by James Reimer to start the middle period. Reimer stopped 12 shots and all three attempts in the tiebreaker.

"Obviously, it was a pretty bad first period and Lou got hung out to dry. We really pushed in the second period, though, and got ourselves back into the game," Reimer said. "They have some great guys for the shootout - I've faced them enough to know. So you just try to keep your eyes on the puck and not fall for their tricks."

Reimer denied Gustav Nyquist, Frans Nielsen - the NHL's career leader in shootout goals - and Dylan Larkin.

Andreas Athanasiou, Nyquist and Thomas Vanek scored for Detroit, which has lost its last five games (0-3-2). Jimmy Howard made 24 saves.

"In the second I thought we stopped talking, we stopped moving our feet, we stopped shoulder-checking," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "So we bogged ourselves down and all of a sudden we were in our end too much."

An apparent power-play goal by Athanasiou 3:55 into the third period was reversed because the play was ruled offside after a challenge by the Panthers.

Hawryluk's third goal of the season with 4:45 left in the second tied the game. Borgstrom brought Florida within one when he scored his third goal with 7:49 remaining in the middle period. McCann made it 3-1 with a short-handed goal at 6:19.

The Panthers outshot the Red Wings 14-2 in the second.

Athanasiou opened the scoring 5:15 into the game with his 13th goal. Nyquist and Vanek scored 59 seconds apart late in the period.

Nyquist made it 2-0 with 2:32 left in the first with his 10th goal. Larkin got an assist to extend his point streak to 14 games (seven goals, 11 assists), the longest current streak in the NHL and the longest for the Red Wings since Henrik Zetterberg's 17-game run to begin the 2007-08 season.

Vanek scored his sixth goal with 1:33 remaining in the opening period.

NOTES: Florida acquired D Chris Wideman from Edmonton in a trade on Sunday for D Alexander Petrovic. Wideman was a healthy scratch. ... Red Wings D Trevor Daly was a late scratch and Blashill announced after the game that the veteran will be out three to five weeks with a foot injury. Daly was honored, along with his family, before the game for playing in his 1,000th career game on Dec. 23 in his native Toronto. ... It was the third game of the day at Little Caesars Arena. Two games in the Great Lakes Invitational college hockey tournament were played earlier.

UP NEXT

Panthers: At the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Red Wings: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

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Updated January 1, 2019