Panthers go to 2-0 with 4-1 win over Red Wings
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Vincent Trocheck, who played youth-league hockey in Detroit, scored a goal to lead the Florida Panthers to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at the BB&T Center.
Trocheck and fellow center Colton Sceviour scored in the first period and Aleksander Barkov scored in the third for Florida (2-0-0), beating Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek.
Florida's Jonathan Marchessault had two assists and an-empty-net goal, and Panthers center Denis Malgin, a 19-year-old rookie, picked up his first career point with an assist on Sceviour's goal.
Jaromir Jagr, who was honored by the Panthers with his bobblehead-doll night, added an assist on Barkov's goal.
Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo made those two early goals stand up, posting career win No. 438. He is in sole possession of sixth place on the NHL list, moving past Jacques Plante.
Darren Helm had the only goal for Detroit (0-2-0).
Trochek scored the game's first goal -- and it took just 70 seconds.
Left winger Jussi Jokinen sprung Trocheck with a long pass and the former Motown resident did the rest. Trocheck entered the zone with the puck on his stick, raced behind the net and caught a break when his wrap-around pass attempt bounced in off the skate of Wings center Dylan Larkin.
Florida made it 2-0 with 9:59 left in the first period. The wild sequence started when Luongo made a sparkling save on Riley Sheahan. Panthers rookie Denis Malgin cleared the puck and got it to Jonathan Marchessault on the left wing. He fed to the right side to Sceviour, who scored on the breakaway.
Detroit cut its deficit to 2-1 with 6:57 left in the first period. Panthers defenseman Jason Demers got taken off the puck behind his own net. Detroit right winger Gustav Nyquist pounced on the puck and fed it to an open Helm, who scored from the slot.
Although there were no goals in the second period, Florida dominated much of the action. Through two periods, Florida outshot Detroit 28-13.
NOTES: Detroit D Niklas Kronwall is out at least one more game due to a knee injury. ... Red Wings LW Andreas Athanasiou, who was a healthy scratch in Thursday's season-opening loss, was moved all the way to the top line with C Henrik Zetterberg and RW Frans Nielsen. LW Steve Ott was made a healthy scratch in order to get Athanasiou in the lineup. ... Other scratches were Detroit's D Ryan Sproul and Florida's D Steven Kampfer and LW Shawn Thornton. ... All fans in attendance on Saturday received a Jaromir Jagr bobblehead -- complete with the Panthers star's famed mullet. ... Panthers C Vincent Trocheck spent part of his youth in Detroit. He and his parents moved there when he was 13. ... Detroit will play its home opener on Monday against the Ottawa Senators. ... Florida is off until Tuesday when backup G James Reimer is expected to make his debut at the Tampa Bay Lightning.