Panthers Break Red Wings

     The Florida Panthers returned from the four-day holiday break and beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Cats will host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday for their final home game of the calendar year and this decade. Riley Stillman played in his first game this season for the Panthers while the Red Wings lost their fifth straight game.
     Florida(19-13-5) moved ahead 1-0 on a power-play goal at the 2:46 mark. Mike Hoffman had the puck on the blue line and passed to Jonathan Hubedeau on the left wing. He centered it to the slot area where Evgenii Dadonov snapped a shot past Jimmy Howard for his 14th goal of the season.
     Detroit(9-27-3) tied it up 1-1 at 9:29. Hoffman turned the puck over at the right point to Filip Zadina and he advanced the puck to Darren Helm at the red line. He went on a breakaway through the left circle and scored on a wrist shot by Chris Driedger.
     The Red Wings took the lead 2-1 just 38 seconds later. Trevor Dailey had it at the top of the zone and angled a pass to Andreas Athanasiou in the low left circle.  He moved it to the middle where Dylan Larkin put the puck in from the top of the crease for his ninth goal this year.
     In the second period, Detroit made it a two-goal margin 46 seconds in on a shorthanded goal. Patrik Nemeth blocked a Hoffman slap shot in the right circle and it trickled to Frans Nielsen. He skated down the left side of the neutral zone and eventually scored on a snap shot from the left circle.
     The Panthers responded on a goal with the man advantage at the 1:58 mark. Vincent Trocheck sent the puck to Alekander Barkov in the right circle. Barkov fed Brett Connolly and he blasted a slap shot for his 15th goal of the campaign.
     The Cats evened it up 3-3 at 6:39. Frank Vatrano connected a pass from the left wing to Brian Boyle at the edge of the blue paint and he flipped a shot between his legs which was saved. Hoffman swept in for the he rebound and roofed a forehand shot 13th tally of the season.
     Florida was able to score nine seconds later and reclaimed the lead 4-3. Nielsen lost a handle of the puck in the low slot area and Dominic Toninato fired a shot from close range for his fourth goal.
     It became 5-3 for the Panthers on a 4-on-4 situation with 6:36 left in the third period. Barkov made a diagonal pass from the top left circle to Hoffman at the right goal line. He backed it and Anton Stralman scored on a wrist shot from the edge of the right circle.
     The Red Wings cut it to 5-4 with 4:11 remaining. Filip Hronek shot the puck from the left circle which was saved, but Luke Glendening easily scored on the rebound into a half-empty cage from the blue paint.