NHL Preview: Detroit Red Wings (22-16-6) at Florida Panthers (27-13-3)

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DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:

MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)

Ville Husso – lower body (14 / Dec. 18)

Jake Walman – illness (4 / Jan. 13)

Total Man Games Lost: 85

Individual Man Games Lost: Klim Kostin (18), Robby Fabbri (12), Dylan Larkin (6), David Perron (6), J.T. Compher (5), Alex Lyon (5), Jeff Petry (4), Austin Czarnik (3), Christian Fischer (3), Olli Määttä (2), Joe Veleno (2), Andrew Copp (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

1/14 – Activated forward Klim Kostin from injured reserve

TONIGHT’S GAME

DETROIT RED WINGS (22-16-5) at FLORIDA PANTHERS (27-13-3)

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 / 7:00 P.M. ET / Amerant Bank Arena / TV: Bally Sports Detroit / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM

TONIGHT: 68th all-time meeting, 35th at Florida … Second of four games this season, first of two at Florida

ALL-TIME vs. FLA: 25-25-5-12 / AWAY: 16-13-2-3 / LAST 10: 0-8-2 / IN 2022-23: 0-3-0 / THIS SEASON: 0-1-0

DET top scorers vs. FLA: Patrick Kane (16-22-38 in 33 GP), Dylan Larkin (10-14-24 in 33 GP), Alex DeBrincat (6-7-13 in 20 GP), J.T. Compher (2-7-9 in 11 GP), Shayne Gostisbehere (4-5-9 in 17 GP), Robby Fabbri (4-4-8 in 13 GP)

FLA top scorers vs. DET: Aleksander Barkov (14-28-42 in 39 GP), Aaron Ekblad (6-15-21 in 33 GP), Sam Reinhart (9-11-20 in 28 GP), Matthew Tkachuk (5-10-15 in 14 GP), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (3-11-14 in 28 GP), Carter Verhaeghe (6-5-11 in 16 GP), Sam Bennett (4-7-11 in 17 GP), Evan Rodrigues (4-5-9 in 16 GP), Brandon Montour (1-8-9 in 17 GP), Anton Lundell (5-0-5 in 6 GP), Niko Mikkola (0-3-3 in 4 GP)

FLOIRDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

– F Nick Cousins | Games Missed: 6

Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 76 Games

PANTHERS vs. RED WINGS

ALL-TIME vs. DET: 37-19-5-6

ALL-TIME HOME vs. DET: 16-11-2-5

2023-24 vs. DET: 1-0-0

CATS STATS

– Sam Reinhart became the first player in NHL history to record a special-teams goal in seven consecutive games (6 PPG & 1 SHG).

– Matthew Tkachuk is tied for the league lead in points (7-8-15) since Jan. 1.

– Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was elected by fans to the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend roster, joining Sam Reinhart at the event. – Florida has won 10 straight games against Detroit since the 2020-21 season.

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

Florida’s five-game homestand is their longest of the season. The Cats are tied for the sixth fewest home games played this season (20), yet their .675 home points percentage is ninth best (13-6-1). Carter Verhaeghe is tied for the league lead in home game-winning goals (4). Sam Reinhart leads the Cats in goals and points (14-12-26) at Amerant Bank Arena this season, while Gustav Forsling leads all Panthers skaters with a +11 rating on home ice. Sergei Bobrovsky’s 11 home wins (11-5-0) are behind only Alexandar Georgiev (14), Thatcher Demko (13) and Juuse Saros (12) for the league lead.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPOTLIGHT

Sam Bennett’s power-play goal on Jan. 15 vs. ANA marked the teams ninth consecutive game with a PPG, tied for the fourth longest streak in club history. Since Nov. 27, the Panthers have scored 23 goals on 79 power-play opportunities, good for the fourth best PP% in the league. The Cats have drawn the most penalties among NHL clubs in that span (115). The Panthers 84.8% penalty-kill success rate ranks fourth in the league following games played Jan. 15. Florida has allowed just three power-play goals over their last 14 games, with their 93.0 PK% leading all teams.

CATS AND RED WINGS

The Panthers face off against the Red Wings for the second of four meetings this season. The Cats blanked the Red Wings, 2-0, when the two teams last met in Detroit on Nov. 2. Forwards Steven Lorentz (1-0-1) and Anton Lundell (1-0-1) scored the Panthers two goals, while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 22 shots faced. Aleksander Barkov skated in his 672nd game with Florida, marking a new franchise record. Barkov won 12 of 14 faceoffs (87.5%). Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon appeared in 19 regular season and playoff games with Florida in 2022-23. Aleksander Barkov has amassed 42 points (14-28-42) in 39 career games against DET, tied for fifth most points vs. DET among active skaters. Sergei Bobrovsky has appeared in net in 33 career games vs. DET, owning a 25-6-1 record and posting a .938 SV% and a 1.81 GAA.

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