[7:30 PM] Panthers @ Red Wings

Who will WIN this matchup?

Florida Panthers (11-10-2)

@ Detroit Red Wings (11-10-2)

 

Starting Goalies:

Roberto Luongo (FLA): Confirmed

Petr Mrazek (DET): Confirmed

 

• It has been an inauspicious start to a six-game road trip for the Florida Panthers, who have dropped a pair of one-goal decisions and lost their head coach to start the trek. The Panthers will play their second game under general manager and interim coach Tom Rowe when they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Gerard Gallant was dismissed after Florida’s 3-2 loss at Carolina and Rowe’s debut behind the bench was spoiled in a 2-1 shootout defeat at Chicago.

• Detroit, which already had a six-game winning streak followed by droughts of five and four games, is trending back up. The Red Wings ran their points streak to four games (3-0-1) with a 3-1 victory over Dallas on Tuesday night.

• ollowing Wednesday’s practice, Rowe engaged in a chat with Aleksander Barkov, the 2013 No. 2 overall draft pick whose goalless drought reached a staggering 21 games. Barkov does have six points in his last six games and earned praise from Rowe following the loss in Chicago.

• One of the biggest reasons for the recent turnaround for Detroit is the play of netminder Petr Mrazek, who has allowed three goals in his past two appearances after yielding four in each of his previous four starts. The Red Wings also scored twice on the power play versus Dallas after an 0-for-14 slump over the previous five games.

• Florida has posted a pair of three-goal win over the Red Wings this season, including a 5-2 victory at Detroit on Oct. 30.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Florida Panthers

Confidence: 4/10

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