Florida @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 20, 2018 ) Detroit 4, Florida 3

The Detroit Red Wings responded after being challenged by their coach and look to string a pair of wins together for the first time in three weeks when the Florida Panthers pay a visit Saturday afternoon. The Red Wings had dropped four straight contests (0-3-1) before getting a strong effort from goalie Jonathan Bernier (38 saves) and scoring three unanswered goals for a 4-1 victory over Carolina on Thursday.

“(Coach Jeff Blashill) called us out a little bit after the last game and we’re aware of that,” Detroit’s leading scorer Dylan Larkin told reporters after extending his point streak to nine games with a goal. “Everyone stepped up and played a solid road game.” The Red Wings rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 4-3 overtime victory Oct. 20 in Florida to earn a point for the sixth time in the last seven games (4-1-2) against the Panthers. Florida had won two straight contests, including a big comeback win at Buffalo on Tuesday to open a four-game trip, before laying an egg in Toronto with a 6-1 setback on Thursday. “We had too many passengers, tried to overcomplicate the game, and what we did last week against Toronto (4-3 overtime win) was we had 20 guys working hard and together,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner told reporters. “(Thursday) we were just fragmented; we didn’t have the right mindset.”

TV: 2 p.m. ET, FS Florida, FS Detroit

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (13-14-6): Rookie forward Henrik Borgstrom scored Thursday and has two points in his first three games this season after being recalled last week. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 40 points and fellow forward Evgenii Dadonov tops the Panthers in goals (16) while matching captain Aleksander Barkov (four goals, three games) with 33 points. Veteran goalie Roberto Luongo (7-6-1, .900 save percentage) was pulled after allowing five goals in 22 shots Thursday after winning two straight contests for the first time in more than a month.

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (15-16-5): Larkin has scored five times and set up seven others during his streak while leading the team in goals (15), points (34) and shots by a wide margin (131). Fellow forward Gustav Nyquist was kept off the scoresheet Thursday, but boasts 15 of his 31 points in the last 13 games, and Frans Nielsen owns all six of his goals in 11 games this month. Detroit needs to get more from speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou, who has managed four points (all assists) in December after scoring 11 times in the first 21 contests this season.

OVERTIME

1. Florida F Nick Bjugstad (upper body), who has missed the last six games, will likely be shut down until after the Christmas break.

2. Veteran Detroit D Niklas Kronwall has recorded a goal and three assists in the last four games.

3. The Panthers gave up three power-play goals Thursday after killing 19-of-19 the previous seven contests.

PREDICTION: Panthers 4, Red Wings 3