Panthers Fall 5-3 to Red Wings as Markström’s Return Raises Questions

Florida found offense from three different scorers, but the bigger questions from Monday’s 5-3 loss to Detroit sit in goal and in the Panthers’ third-period response. Jacob Markström stopped 24 shots in his return after two weeks out, while the team managed only four shots in the final period of a game that was tied 2-2 after 40 minutes.

The Red Wings left Amerant Bank Arena with a 5-3 win, never allowing Florida to take the lead. The Panthers stayed close through goals from Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett, but Detroit restored its cushion after Bennett pulled Florida within one. Emmitt Finnie’s empty-net goal finished the scoring.

Florida’s scorers kept the game within reach

Reinhart’s goal was his eighth of the season and his second at five-on-five, according to the source. He joined Brady Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe at the eight-goal mark. Florida’s offense needed contributions from its established finishers with Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand unavailable, and the three-goal output gave the Panthers a chance to stay in the contest even as they spent the night chasing Detroit.

Ekblad also scored for the first time this season, doing so in the second period. The defenseman is Florida’s all-time leading scorer among blueliners, and his goal came after Seth Jones set the team record for most points by a defenseman in October, with 18. Garnet Hathaway assisted on Ekblad’s tally, recording his first point as a Panther.

Bennett’s late goal offered a brief opening. He scored his fourth of the season with assists from Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. Matthew’s helper was his 17th, giving him a team-leading 21 points. He had been held off the scoresheet only three times during October, and he carried that production into November.

Those contributions were enough to make the final minutes tense, but Florida’s offense had too little time to build sustained pressure. Bennett’s goal made it 4-3; Finnie’s empty-netter then put the result beyond reach. The Panthers’ scoring depth can keep them competitive when key players are out, but Monday showed that a late push needs more than a handful of chances to overcome a deficit.

Markström’s return brings the focus back to the crease

Markström’s 24 saves came in his first game back from a two-week injury absence. The source describes this as his second time missing playing time since returning to Florida this season. His return gave the Panthers their Swedish netminder back in the lineup, yet the result extended a difficult run of save percentages.

Outside his Opening Night shutout against Carolina, Markström had recorded a save percentage above .900 in just one other game, against Los Angeles on Oct. 6. Across seven games, his save percentage stood at .890. The game log cited in the source provides the figures behind that season-to-date picture.

That number is only part of the evaluation. One night’s result doesn’t establish how a goaltender will perform after an absence, and Florida’s defensive play also shapes the quality of the chances he faces. Still, the Panthers need steadier results in the crease if they’re to turn close games into points. The comparison in the source is Sergei Bobrovsky’s .885 save percentage with Toronto, marginally below Markström’s figure.

Four third-period shots tell the story

Florida had familiar strengths in the face-off circle and recorded 41 hits, but Detroit outshot the Panthers 29-26 and blocked 17 shots. The Red Wings also limited Florida to four shots in the third period, despite the teams entering that frame tied. That drop in pressure matters: the Panthers had an opportunity to seize the game, but didn’t produce enough volume to make Detroit defend for long stretches.

Former Panther Danii Tarasov stood between Florida and a breakthrough as the team tried to solve him. The source’s account is critical of the Panthers’ adjustment when their initial approach wasn’t working. Their late goal made the margin one, but it arrived after a long stretch without meaningful third-period pressure.

The loss also followed two wins over Winnipeg, including a 5-1 result in which Florida built a 3-0 lead and a 5-2 victory in the rematch. The earlier games had different rhythms, but the pattern worth watching is whether the Panthers can close out opponents when they have control and respond with urgency when they don’t. Monday’s performance offered little of that response in the final 20 minutes.

Florida gave up two points in the Atlantic Division standings, as reflected in the division standings. Its next game is Wednesday, when the Chicago Blackhawks visit. The Panthers will have an immediate chance to reset, with their finish in the third period and Markström’s next start among the clearest things to watch.