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March 11, 2026
Florida panthers

SUNRISE — Paul Maurice does not care if it is an exhibition game in Orlando, or a last-second, come-from-behind classic finish in March. Wins for his Florida Panthers are worth the squeeze.

Or, from the tap.

On Tuesday night, the Panthers trailed the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 when Daniil Tarasov was pulled with 2:05 remaining.

Just 45 seconds later, Carter Verhaeghe pulled in a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and beat John Gibson to tie the score at 3.

With 15 seconds left, Verhaeghe got another pass from Tkachuk and beat Gibson through traffic — giving the Panthers their second straight win, both against the Red Wings.

For the Panthers, winning has not come easy lately.

And, as improbable and crazy as this one was, it will be overshadowed by Bam Adebayo making history with his 83 points for the Miami Heat on the same night.

Florida had lost 9 of 11 going into Detroit last Friday night when they played as strong a game as they had in a long time, pulling out a 3-1 win.

Tuesday was a little more dramatic.

But they’ll take it.

“It’s true,’’ Maurice said when asked if everything was just better after a win. You know, breakfast. Or a beer. Whatever it is.

“Unless you’re having a beer for breakfast, then that’s a whole different thing. That’s a different lifestyle. You’re right; it doesn’t matter. You get a better night’s sleep. You’re not grinding your teeth all night.”

The Panthers could have packed it in long ago.

They still remain 11 points out of the playoffs after Boston won again on Tuesday with Maurice calling Florida’s hope for the postseason “a miracle.’’

Against the Red Wings, the Panthers have looked like themselves again.

Have not been able to say that a whole lot this season.

“I think we deserved to win that,’’said Verhaeghe, who is now tied for the most multi-goal periods in franchise history with Pavel Bure.

“There is only one way to play and that is to go out, win games, try and do your best. Once you start thinking about other stuff, it really doesn’t go that well. There’s one way to play, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Verhaeghe’s goals gave the Panthers their first regulation win when trailing by a goal in the final two minutes of a game since 1999 — and just the second in franchise history.

For Detroit, a team hoping to hold on to one of the top three seeds in the Atlantic, this one was a tough loss to swallow.

“We have a job to do and the first thing we have to do is recover from this loss,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “It’s another where, at least, we should be leaving with a point. But we’re not. That’s a tough one to swallow.’’

Only the Panthers weren’t settling for overtime.

Tied at 3, the Panthers got loose off the rush — McLellan maintained Florida had too many players on the ice when Tkachuk hoped on — with Verhaeghe firing off a shot that banged off Justin Faulk’s skate.

Faulk had a goal and an assist in his second game with Detroit since coming over from St. Louis in a big playoff-push trade; he also saw two Florida goals (Niko Mikkola made it 2-2 earlier in the third) go off his skate.

Hey, things happen.

This season, they usually have been happening to the Panthers.

Even when Florida does win, those in front do as well.

That’s the way it works sometimes.

The Panthers are not making the playoffs this season, not with so much real estate to make up and not enough games (or healthy bodies) to do it.

But, again, they have not quit.

At least not yet.

And that should allow Maurice to sleep a little better before cracking one open.

“We’ve got one job, and it’s not to figure out where we finish in the standings,’’ he said. “It’s just to handle your day and the best that we can do is to come in and have respect for the game and have respect for each other and you hope for a miracle.

“We still have to be pros, and we almost have to honor the Florida Panther game. That is what we’re trying to do and be respectful about it.”

ON DECK: GAME No. 65

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS at FLORIDA PANTHERS 
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