In the first game of their back to back road trip in Florida, the Detroit Red Wings gained their first lead of over the Florida Panthers thanks to rookie Carter Mazur to put them up 1-0 in the first period.

Detroit would finish the night with a win thanks to rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scoring what turned out to be the game winning goal to put the Red Wings up 4-2 in the third period. Sam Bennett would pull the Panthers within one late in the frame with Jacob Markstrom pulled from the net, but Red Wings sophomore center Emmitt Finnie would put the game away with an empty netter with seconds on the clock to win it 5-3.

The Red Wings desperately needed the win to get back on track after losing to the Blues on Saturday at home and hope to make it two wins on the road trip tonight to bring them off the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings.

They have the opportunity to do so by winning their second game in as many days tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning find themselves in an odd position following star Nikita Kucherov’s trade request (Red Wings fans wouldn’t know anything about that, would they?) and are on a few days rest, having last played in their loss to the Nashville Predators on Halloween.

A win for the Red Wings would put them over both Florida teams in the standings following their trip south and make a statement about the team following Dylan Larkin quitting on the team, perhaps making Detroit a more desirable destination on the flip side of trade ends up working out for the former captain.

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Red Wings Extra

Brandsegg-Nygard’s rookie season is shaping up to be one remembered not just by Hockeytown, but the NHL at large. The Norwegian winger is tied for third in the league’s rookie points race and has been leaving his mark with his physical play on ice. Brandsegg-Nygard’s heavy shot and pace have been exactly as advertised in the NHL, if not more impressive than his draft profile suggested.

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