Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are set to play against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday as part of their three-game road trip. The Red Wings aim for a season sweep against the Panthers, having previously won both matchups this season. The game will be broadcasted on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and available on the Red Wings Radio Network.

Detroit aims to stay competitive in the race for the Eastern Conference's second Wild-Card spot. The team recently lost to the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 on Tuesday, despite an early goal by Captain Dylan Larkin, marking his 29th of the season. In response to the game, Patrick Kane said, “We had all the momentum in the world during the first period [on Tuesday]. We lose it in the second and we couldn’t get it back. There’s going to be momentum swings throughout a game. We got to find a way to get it back as quickly as possible when we don’t have it.”

Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan emphasized the importance of maintaining control and focus. “We’ve used the word belief a lot since we got here,” McLellan said. “We’re realistic. We look at the standings and know what’s ahead of us and what must be done. What can we control? We can control our input into the game tonight, and that’s basically it. We can’t control what other teams are doing. We can’t count on Montreal to help us. When you give up control, you’re at the mercy of anything.”

The Florida Panthers, holding a 4-5-1 record over their past 10 games, recently secured a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. They expect to field a stronger lineup for Thursday's game with key players such as Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, and Gustav Forsling, who missed the previous game against Detroit due to health priorities, anticipated to return. Sergei Bobrovsky, the veteran goalie, is expected to start for the Panthers. In 52 games this season, Bobrovsky has accumulated a 32-18-2 record with a 2.42 goals-against average.

Discussing the challenge posed by the Panthers, McLellan noted, “They have some of their big boys back into the lineup. The power play and penalty kill will look different, especially the power play. It’ll have a little more pop and familiarity to it. They’re still battling for positioning, getting ready for the playoffs, so I expect a Stanley Cup champion-type effort.”