National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Detroit 4, Florida 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 28, 2013
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Francois St.Laurent
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 18932


Red Wings 4, Panthers 3: Defenseman Brendan Smith and Gustav Nyquist scored 38 seconds apart early in the third period and captain Henrik Zetterberg added a power-play tally in his return from a back injury as visiting Detroit posted its third win in four games.

Daniel Alfredsson also scored and Pavel Datsyuk notched a pair of assists for the Red Wings, who defeated Florida for the first time in three tries this season. Jonas Gustavsson turned aside 30 shots.

Sean Bergenheim tallied twice, Nick Bjugstad netted a goal and Scott Clemmensen made 27 saves for the Panthers, who have lost three in a row.

Alfredsson opened the scoring 3:47 into the contest with a shot from high in the left faceoff circle while on the power play, and Zetterberg beat Clemmensen from the right circle during a man advantage with 5:31 remaining in the first period to make it 2-0. Florida pulled even with goals 2:07 apart in the latter half of the second, as Bergenheim converted a nifty flip pass between two defenders by Gregory Campbell for a power-play tally and Bjugstad cashed in on a breakaway chance.

Smith put Detroit ahead for good 42 seconds into the third with a one-timer from above the right circle and Nyquist buried a rebound from the doorstep to make it 4-2. Bergenheim halved the deficit 3:07 later with a shot from the top of the slot, but the Panthers were unable to get the equalizer.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Zetterberg missed 11 games with a herniated disk in his back. ... Detroit LW Justin Abdelkader was in the lineup for the first time since suffering a concussion on Dec. 14 against Pittsburgh. ... Florida has allowed 15 goals during its skid after yielding a total of eight during its preceding five-game winning streak. ... Panthers G Tim Thomas dressed as the backup after missing six games with a groin injury.


Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Florida
Pavel Datsyuk 2 Points Sean Bergenheim 2
Daniel Alfredsson 1 Goals Sean Bergenheim 2
Pavel Datsyuk 2 Assists Aleksander Barkov 1
Daniel Alfredsson 1 Power Play Goals Sean Bergenheim 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jonas Gustavsson .909 Save Percentage Scott Clemmensen .871
Jonas Gustavsson 30 Saves Scott Clemmensen 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 31 4 2-5 5-6 12 32
Florida 33 3 1-6 3-5 10 34
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Panthers have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .292 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .588 after a win and .348 after a loss.