Takeaways: Panthers Dominate Red Wings in Barkov’s Return

Welcome to Full Press Hockey’s Takeaway series on the Florida Panthers.

After each Panthers game of the 2022-23 season, our Florida Panthers beat writer, Alex Slemp, will recap the game and break down his biggest takeaways from the game. Today we will have a look at the Florida Panthers’ win vs the Detroit Red Wings. You can follow more of his work on the Florida Panthers here, and also tune into his podcast where he talks the latest on all things Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers are back in the win column after a convincing 5-1 victory vs the Detroit Red Wings.

Panthers Rolling after Win vs Red Wings

The Panthers finally returned home after a lengthy five-game road trip out west. The Cats opened the trip with back-to-back losses before rallying with consecutive 5-1 victories. They closed out their trip with a 5-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets but returned home and rebounded with this brilliant performance vs the Detroit Red Wings.

Energized by the return of Aleksander Barkov and the cheers of their raucous fans, the Panthers collected their third victory in four games.

Last night’s dominating win was also the most reminiscent of the play we were accustomed to seeing from the reigning President’s Trophy-winning Panthers.

The Panthers were in total control the entire game and were scoring in bunches. It was a relentless attack by the offense and they never let up once.

It’s been the game Panthers fans have been waiting for all season from their beloved team. And the near-capacity crowd at FLA Live Arena was all on their feet to celebrate this one.

Panthers’ Game Finally Coming Together

This was a statement win. 

Now you may be thinking a win against the Red Wings doesn’t warrant that kind of praise. But this Detroit team is not the team of last year. 

Right now, the Red Wings are sitting a point up on Florida in the standings. They have vastly improved this season under new head coach Derek Lalonde. And the biggest area of improvement has been on the defensive end.

They went from being 31st in the NHL in giving up high-danger scoring chances (3.26 per game) to ninth-best in the league (2.20 per game) this season. 

So the fact that the Panthers dominated offensively the way they did, is very telling.

The Cats outshot their opposition 41-20 and 13 of the Panthers’ 18 skaters landed on the scoresheet. A testament to the overall depth of this team. 

Despite the inconsistencies in their season thus far, the Panthers boast a roster that is tops in the league. The results haven’t been there every night but they are near the top in almost every analytics category this season.

It’s just been a matter of putting it all together and doing it night after night.

Their three wins (all 5-1 victories) in their last four games are showing that consistent success is right around the corner.

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Barkov’s Return Elevates Panthers Play

Aiding in the Panthers’ dominant play was the return of their captain.

Barkov had been sidelined for the last six games while recovering from pneumonia. 

“I just needed to take some time off, get some rest and get some vitamins but now I feel a lot better,” Barkov said. 

“It’s never nice to be out and not helping the team.”

Barkov’s immediate impact on his return was as predictable as they come. He is the glue in the locker room and the driver of this team. And in the second period, his assist on an Eetu Luostarinen goal sparked the first of a four-goal period from the Panthers.

“It just changes everything for you on all systems,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

“He allows you to change your matchups during the game, run him against the other team’s best, and make the other team’s shutdown pair pick between him and Sam Bennett. It just opens up plays for the other lines.”

Barkov sits fifth in team scoring with 19 points in 20 games. But his impact is felt across the game more than just on the scoresheet. 

For one, his dominance in the face-off dot is consistently putting the Panthers in attack mode right off the draw. It’s an area of one’s game that can often be glossed over but it is integral to how this Panthers team is consistently able to generate high-volume offense. 

Then there’s his defensive game. Barkov logged 3:36 of ice time on the penalty kill and his unit didn’t concede a single power play goal. 

The Panthers as a whole killed off three of four Red Wing power plays, including an important penalty kill just two and a half minutes into the game. 

To say the return of Barkov is good for the team would be such an understatement. He is so integral to the success and consistency of this club. However you wish to describe his impact on the team, it will never be quite enough. 

Panthers’ Call Ups Continue to Produce

When a team faces as many injuries to their lineups as the Panthers are experiencing, they are poised to stumble. But the Cats aren’t missing a beat, thanks to the help of their recent call-ups.

The Panthers currently have four regulars out of the lineup. Radko Gudas and Patric Hornqvist are sidelined with concussions and Spencer Knight and Anton Lundell remain out with illnesses.

Florida called up forwards Chris Tierney and Zac Dalpe, as well as defenceman Matt Kiersted, from their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, and they have not disappointed.

Zac Dalpe scored his first of the season in their previous game against the Jets. And last night’s matchup saw Tierney and Kiersted both net their firsts of the season.

It was interesting to see the Panthers elected to go with experience over youth in their recent call-ups, but it has proved to be a good decision.

Tierney and Dalpe have a combined 719 NHL games between them. And that experience has helped them integrate into Paul Maurice’s system seamlessly.

There’s always the debate over whether you should call up young guys to get them minutes or to go with veterans. But with a tight race in the standings, sometimes you have to go with what you know over gambling on seeing what a prospect can do for you.

Up Next

The Florida Panthers will make a quick trip up-state to take on their rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It is just the second of four meetings between the two clubs. The Lightning took the first game of the season series 3-2 in OT back on October 21. 

The Bolts currently sit third in the Atlantic Division and are three points ahead of the Panthers.

The Lightning are rolling as of late. They have won seven of their last 10 games and have only conceded 2.8 goals per game in that time.

Puck drop is Saturday, December 10 at 4:30 pm EST.