George Richards, FHN Publisher
Losing Aaron Ekblad to injury is something the Panthers are going to have to live with for a long time.
On Tuesday, at least, they looked like they wanted to cut loose and have some fun.
They did so at the expense of the Detroit Red Wings.
Of course, they way the Panthers have been hit by the injury bug this past week, they did not come out of Tuesday’s game unscathed.
The Panthers were hopping on Tuesday night with Jonathan Huberdeau setting the tone by scoring 17 seconds into the game as Florida dropped Detroit 4-1 at BB&T Center.
”We had a great start, lot of pace, good puck movement,” Joel Quenneville said of Florida’s three-goal opening period.
”We had everyone involved in the flow. Huby scoring off a great chance got it started. There were some really good things going early.”
Florida has won three consecutive games and have taken five of seven against Detroit so far this season.
The Panthers and Wings will play for the final time Thursday.
Huberdeau opened the scoring off a nice feed from behind the goal by Mason Marchment seconds after the initial puck dropped.
Midway through the period, Carter Verhaeghe converted after being close a few times, slipping in front of the net and scoring off a pass from Anthony Duclair.
Verhaeghe, who had a hat trick in Dallas on Saturday night, got his second of the game in the second period.
With 7:35 remaining in the first, Brett Connolly camped in front of the net and deflected it past goalie Calvin Pickard.
It was the 100th career goal for Connolly who looked simply relieved after scoring, making a deep sigh as he glided into the boards.
For a veteran guy who has been waived and spent weeks on the taxi squad, yeah, this has been a tough run.
Scoring probably felt real good.
“It has been tough but that’s hockey and you deal with it,” said Connolly, who came back into the lineup when Patric Hornqvist went on the IR on Saturday.
”For whatever reason, it just hasn’t been going in but I have proven in the past that I can go on a streak and really get my game going. The team is winning, playing great and I love this group here. Down the stretch, everyone needs to pick it up and I think I can help.”
Connolly’s deflection was the last shot Pickard would see as he was pulled in favor of old Florida nemisis Thomas Greiss.
Greiss made some stops but did not play much of a factor in the game — save for what happened at the end of the second.
With Florida up 4-1 in the closing seconds of the period, Greiss tripped a hard-charging Duclair and sent him sprawling into the end boards.
Duclair was down for a few minutes and was seen grasping at his shoulder.
He bounded off the ice and went directly to the room.
Duclair did not return to the game and a separated shoulder is the fear.
Quenneville said postgame that Duclair would miss at least a week with the injury making him the fourth substantial player Florida has lost in the past week.
The biggest injury was to Ekblad as he will be out an estimated three months after having surgery Monday.
Captain Sasha Barkov is expected back this week and Patric Hornqvist is not thought to miss too many more games.
Losing a play-driver like Duclair, however, will stretch Florida’s depth even further. He and Barkov make up 2/3rds of the Panthers’ top line.
”We are missing a few keys guys but I think it has opened it up for other guys to play a bigger role, get a bigger opportunity,” Bobrovsky said.
“Earn their spot in the lineup. It’s good to have some adversity to overcome. We need to be strong. I thought the guys did a great job tonight, up 3-0. We were composed and played our game, Great, great win.”
THE GHOST IS AVAILABLE
A big name to local hockey fans unexpectedly came onto the market Tuesday as the Philadelphia Flyers actually announced it had put defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on waivers.
The defenseman has struggled at times this season but was thought to be a very promising NHL player not too long ago.
Gostisbehere, of course, is a South Florida product.
The Broward County native came up with the Jr. Panthers program and spent two years at Stoneman Douglas HIgh in Parkland before moving north to attend prep school in Connecticut to further his hockey career.
Gostisbehere is the first born-and-raised South Florida player to play in an NHL game.
Florida could have him for nothing if it put in a claim although his salary and term of his contract, not to mention his up-and-down play, would keep GM Bill Zito from doing so.
Gostisbehere has two seasons remaining on his contract after this one at $4.5 million per. While the Panthers could slide him under the cap this year, they would really want to keep him as a future asset to make the move.
Florida is thought to be looking for a top-four defenseman with Ekblad out; the NHL trade deadline is April 12 at noon.
NEW NAME, SAME CHANNEL
Tuesday was the last game the Panthers played on a Fox Sports regional telecast as the group of channels is being renamed on Wednesday.
Fox Sports Florida & Sun will be renamed Bally Sports; the channel numbers and announcers will remain the same.
FIRST PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS
The Panthers did just about everything they wanted to in the opening period from putting a lot of offensive pressure on Detroit while limiting the chances against Bobrovsky.
Florida absolutely dominated the first and had a few prime scoring chances in the moments following Huberdeau’s first goal 17 seconds in.
The Panthers were only credited with 11 shots on goal in the first and took 25 shot attempts to Detroit’s 13.
SECOND PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS
Detroit came to play in the second and put a little pressure on Bobrovsky.
Filip Zadina got the Wings on the board at 7:32 of the second on a power play goal but Bobrovsky was terrific throughout, making a total of 17 saves.
”He was excellent all game long,’’ Quenneville said. “We probably (worked) him more than we would have liked.”
Verhaeghe got his second of the night to make it a three-goal affair once more when his shot off the side of the cage ran up Greiss’ body and hit a Detroit stick on the way through.
Florida got a late power play after Greiss tripped up Duclair.
THIRD PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS
Florida got a few shots off on the Greiss power play but did not score. With a 4-1 lead, there was not much intrigue in this one.
Bobrovsky ended the night with 35 saves.
GEORGE’S THREE STARS OF THE GAME
ON DECK: RED WINGS AT PANTHERS
When: Thursday, 7
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise
Tickets: AVAILABLE HERE
Season series: Florida leads 5-2.
TV/Radio: Bally Sports Florida (formerly FSF)/560-AM