Bobrovsky gets shutout, Lorentz scores first goal for Florida in 2-0 win over Wings
DETROIT (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for his 39th career shutout, Steven Lorentz scored his first goal for Florida and the Panthers silenced the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 on Thursday night.
Lorentz, who was acquired in an offseason trade with San Jose, scored with 52 seconds left in the second period with an assist from Niko Mikkola.
“It’s huge whenever you can get a goal in the first minute or last minute of a period — it feels like a backbreaker for the other team,” Lorentz said. “I was just trying to shoot it hard on net and I got a bounce. Hopefully, the bounces are going to be coming our way a little bit more.”
Anton Lundell provided insurance with an empty-net goal with 1:12 remaining, also his first of the season.
Bobrovsky now has a 25-6-1 career record against the Red Wings, including four shutouts.
“It’s a great win. Obviously, I wasn’t thinking about my career or my personal achievements out there,” said Bobrovsky, who was appearing in his 650th career game. “We’re focused on the standings. That team is ahead of us and we know we have to work to catch them.”
Aleksander Barkov appeared in his 672nd career game with the Panthers, a franchise record. He had been tied with Jonathan Huberdeau, who now plays for Calgary.
Detroit was shut out for the first time this season. James Reimer made 25 saves.
“He’s been really sharp,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said of Reimer. “That’s a positive for us. Every time he’s been in the net, he’s given us a chance. Tonight was obviously no different.”
The Panthers had a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal in the first period but the closest any player came to scoring was Detroit's Daniel Sprong, who banged a shot off the crossbar during a power play.
Both teams came up empty on three power plays in the second period. Detroit went 0-for-5 on the power play and has not scored with the man advantage for four consecutive games. The Red Wings scored 11 power play goals in their first seven games.
“We bobbled pucks at key times and we forced it at key times,” team captain Dylan Larkin said. “We just didn’t get the one that we needed. I think on the power play we need one bad. The sense of urgency has to be there from the first power play to our last power play.”
Lorentz broke the deadlock with a shot from the left side that deflected off Reimer's glove, the crossbar and the back of the goaltender's leg before settling into the net.
Florida is 3-0-1 in its last four games.
“I think our penalty kill is a lot like our power play — the numbers aren’t good at all, but we’ve been perfect in our last three games and I think our expected goals is actually pretty solid,” coach Paul Maurice said. "Our expected goals on the power play are also solid. That’s what coaches do — when the analytics are good, talk about the analytics."
UP NEXT:
Panthers: At Chicago on Saturday.
Red Wings: Host Boston on Saturday.
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