Detroit @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 10, 2019 ) Detroit 1, Florida 6

The Florida Panthers were warm on the road and hope to get hotter at home as they host the struggling Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Florida went 2-1-1 on a trek that began in Western Canada and ended with a 4-3 overtime victory against Colorado on Wednesday after it erased a two-goal deficit in the third period.

"We're starting to play more together and (Wednesday) showed the character of our team,'' Panthers left wing Jonathan Huberdeau told reporters after his second goal of the game came 29 seconds into the extra session. "A huge comeback and now we're going to have a stretch at home and it's going to be good to be under the sunshine." Huberdeau has four goals and seven points in his last five games, helping Florida go 3-1-1 during that span. Detroit is 1-8-1 in its last 10 games and has dropped five straight on the road after a 7-3 loss to Carolina on Friday. Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha scored twice, giving him a club-high nine goals, but the line of Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou and Valtteri Filppula was a combined minus-9.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit Plus, FS Florida

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (4-9-1): Tyler Bertuzzi (six goals this season) scored versus Carolina and shares the team lead in points (14) with Mantha. Justin Abdelkader returned Friday after missing three games with a lower-body injury and recorded five hits in 12 minutes of ice time. Jimmy Howard stopped only 16-of-21 shots against Carolina before being relieved by Jonathan Bernier and has yielded four or more goals in four of his eight games this season.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (6-3-4): Huberdeau boasts a club-high seven goals and shares the team lead in points (15) with captain Aleksander Barkov, who scored his first goal of the season Wednesday. Barkov scored a career-high 35 in 2018-19 and 111 in his last four campaigns. Sergei Bobrovsky (5-2-3, 3.71 goals-against average, .873 save percentage) is off to a slow start but is 13-5-1, 2.11, .932 in 20 games (19 starts) against Detroit.

OVERTIME

1. Florida C Vincent Trocheck (lower body) could return after missing the last five games.

2. The Red Wings have scored a power-play goal in each of their last three contests (3-for-11) after going 4-for-36 in their first 11 games.

3. The Panthers have won three straight meetings and earned a point in five straight encounters (4-0-1).

PREDICTION: Panthers 3, Red Wings 2