Red Wings at Panthers
The Detroit Red Wings continue their quest for that elusive first win of the season when they conclude a four-game road trip Saturday by visiting the Florida Panthers. Detroit has earned just two points thus far in 2018-19, suffering an overtime loss to Columbus in its season opener and falling in a shootout at Anaheim on Oct. 8.
The Red Wings have been outscored 18-6 over the first three games of their trek, which includes a 3-1 setback at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Dylan Larkin tops Detroit with three goals and is tied for the team lead in points with five, but is among the worst on the club with a minus-7 rating. Florida got into the win column for the first time this campaign on Friday as it edged Washington 6-5 in a shootout after allowing the game-tying goal with 1:25 remaining in the third period. Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau each recorded a tally and two assists for the Panthers, whose first five games have all been one-goal decisions.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Florida
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (0-5-2): Detroit may be stronger on the blue line Saturday as Jonathan Ericsson likely will make his season debut after missing the first seven games with an upper-body injury. "Everything is not going to be 100 percent right away, I can't expect that," the 34-year-old Swedish defenseman told the team's website. "I can skate however much, then you come out in the game and you're still exhausted after the first shift. ... But I've prepared myself and they prepared (me) as good as they could." Rookie center Michael Rasmussen, who has notched one assist in six games, can skate in three more contests before the Red Wings decide whether or not to send him to his junior team in order to not exhaust a year of his entry-level contract.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (1-2-2): Trocheck's three-point performance against the Capitals gave him a team-high seven points while his goal put him seven away from 100 for his career. Evgenii Dadonov netted a tally and set up another on Friday, drawing him within nine points of 100 in the NHL. The 29-year-old Russian leads Florida with three goals after scoring a career-best 28 last season and has collected six points over his last four contests.
OVERTIME
1. Red Wings rookie C Christoffer Ehn is the only member of the team with a positive plus/minus rating at plus-2.
2. Florida D Keith Yandle notched an assist on Friday to extend his point streak to four games.
3. Ericsson is four assists shy of 100 for his career.