Paul Maurice, after the Panthers' 5-3 loss to the Red Wings tonight: "I wasn't in love with ours."
Florida came in on a three-game winning streak, and the game also marked Jacob Markstrom's return from an upper-body injury. Detroit ended the streak in Sunrise.
Maurice gave the Red Wings their due before turning on his own group, according to Jameson Olive.
Carter Mazur opened the scoring for Detroit. Sam Reinhart answered late in the first period to make it 1-1, stretching his goal streak to three games, and the Panthers led 12-6 in shots after 20 minutes.
Alex DeBrincat put the Red Wings back in front 2-1. Then Aaron Ekblad scored his first of the season, shorthanded, to tie it 2-2 late in the second.
Markstrom made six saves on the penalty kill in that period, and Florida held a 22-20 edge in shots. The Panthers had every reason to feel good heading to the third.
How the third period got away from Florida
It took Detroit 2:53 to flip the game. Justin Faulk scored on the power play to make it 3-2, and the Red Wings added another to go up 4-2.
That is the stretch Maurice was talking about. A tied game, a shot advantage and a goalie working his way back in, and the Panthers gave up two quick goals anyway. Bad timing, and an even worse way to spend a power-play kill and a lead.
Sam Bennett gave Florida life with the goalie pulled, as Olive reported.
It made the score 4-3 with 3:20 left. The Panthers couldn't find the equalizer.
Olive then noted that Finne's empty-netter made it 5-3 with 2.7 seconds left, and that the Cats' winning streak would end at three.
Markstrom's night drew a pointed review from RDS, which called it a comeback that was not so rosy.
We had Jacob Markstrom skating before his return last week, so the wait was long. The result wasn't the one the Panthers wanted, but the sheet doesn't give his full line, so judge the night on the third period as a whole.
The Panthers are now 8-5-2 in 15 games, good for 18 points. They've scored 47 goals and allowed 44.
There is still help on the way. Our earlier report said Aleksander Barkov's recovery is on schedule, and a lineup that gave up a lead like this one could use him.
Florida gets a chance to respond Wednesday, November 4, when the Chicago Blackhawks visit Sunrise. Maurice will want a full 60 minutes this time.
Should Paul Maurice be more worried about the Panthers' third period than Markstrom's return?
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