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Thursday night was a perfect example of why nobody should ever count the Florida Panthers out of any game they play. So many factors contributed to this electrifying win. It's time to go over the factors of the Panthers's second consecutive win that had Amerant Bank Arena rocking.
Here's how Florida rallied from 4-1 down to beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4.
Anton Lundell has tended to get his production in bunches, and such was the case again Thursday. He scored two goals, both in the third period. After Florida couldn't convert on a power play, Lundell did at even strength -- Carter Verhaeghe fired a shot that deflected off a defender in front, leaving a loose puck right in the slot for Lundell to tuck home. The second goal came later, after Florida had tied the game; Lundell was put on the line in between the Tkachuks, and gave Florida a game-winner.
Other forwards got in on the fun for Florida. Verhaeghe didn't score, but assisted on three goals, again showing his versatility and effort. Reinhart was also productive, scoring four minutes into the game, taking one of those passes from Verhaeghe in the left circle and firing a backhanded shot past John Gibson. With that goal, Reinhart offiicially reached the milestone of scoring his 200th goal in his Florida Panthers career. The question remains: will he be able to reach/surpass Aleksander Barkov's current record of 268 goals? With Barkov still out for a little bit longer, it leaves Reinhart with the perfect opportunity to at least gain some ground on the record.
As the Panthers have shown resilience, now with six wins in their past 10 games to remain in the middle of the competitive Atlantic Division, they're not that far from getting reinforcements. Brad Marchand and Sasha Barkov joined the team for morning skate on the recent road trip, and coach Paul Maurice indicated that they're both less than two weeks from returning. That could make them available for a home stand prior to Thanksgiving; that includes some winnable games against Edmonton and Buffalo. The Panthers are 10-7-2 in their absence, with no win more impressive than the one on Thursday night.
Up next for the Panthers? Back on the road, Saturday, November 14th against the St. Louis Blues at 7 PM. The Blues are 9-8-2 on the season.