Anton Lundell’s multi-goal game highlights Florida Panthers’ rout of Detroit Red Wings
Consider Saturday night the latest submission for Anton Lundell’s Calder Trophy consideration.
In a game that featured three of the NHL’s top five scoring rookies this season, it was Lundell who came away with the big night. The center scored twice in the Florida Panthers’ 6-2 rout of the Detroit Red Wings to close a five-game homestand at FLA Live Arena. The win keeps Florida (37-13-5) in first place in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings fall to 24-26-6.
“Nothing really surprises me with the kid anymore,” Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought he was excellent all game. His line was really good. You almost expect it out of him.”
Lundell, 20, now has 11 multi-point performances and three multi-goal outing in his first 51 career NHL games. On the season, he has 14 goals and 24 assists while working primarily as Florida’s third-line center and getting time on Florida’s second power-play unit and the penalty kill.
Lundell’s 38 points are the fifth-most among rookies this season. The Red Wings have two of the four players ahead of him: Lucas Raymond (16 goals, 27 assists for 43 points) and Moritz Seider (five goals, 36 assists for 41 points).
And Lundell wasn’t shy about saying the matchup of Calder Trophy contenders gave him some extra motivation to step up on Saturday.
“Maybe a little bit,” Lundell said, with a slight grin on his face.
It worked. Lundell’s line, with Frank Vatrano and Sam Reinhart on the wings, came out buzzing early. They had a 14-4 advantage in shots on goal when they were on the ice at even strength and created six high-danger chances.
Lundell scored the final goal in both the first and second periods. His wrist shot from the side of the net with 1:58 left in the first period deflected off the Red Wings’ Gustav Lindstrom and into the net for a power-play goal to put Florida up 3-1. His second goal was a snap shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle on a feed from Vatrano with 3:47 left in the second period.
“He seems to put himself in the right areas,” Reinhart said. “He’s so smart offensively at finding those goals. We were able to get the puck to him, and he’s a finisher.”
But it was more than just Lundell making an impact offensively on Saturday. Aleksander Barkov had three assists, Reinhart and MacKenzie Weegar each had two assists, and Sam Bennett had a goal and an assist to round out Florida’s multi-point efforts.
“We want 10!” chants began eight minutes into the second period after Sam Bennett used some nifty stickwork as he approached the net before his point-blank wrist shot went past Thomas Greiss to make the score 4-1.
Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” played about three minutes later when defenseman Lucas Carlsson drove the length of the ice and scored on a wrist shot from the left circle to make it 5-1 before Lundell’s second goal of the game. Alex Nedeljkovic replaced Greiss in Detroit’s net after the Carlsson goal.
Mason Marchment and Anthony Duclair also added first-period goals.
And Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in net for a second consecutive game, stopping 22 of 24 shots that came his way one game after an 18-save shutout against the Ottawa Senators to improve to 28-6-3 on the season.
It was a strong two-game showing to wrap up a homestand that began with three consecutive regulation losses.
The Panthers now play nine of their next 10 away from FLA Live Arena, starting with a back-to-back Monday and Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres and then the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We were disappointed in ourselves the week before,” Brunette said, “and I think we came in this week and knew these are important games — they’re all important, but I think the way we started our five-game stretch going 0-3, I think the onus was let’s get these ones at home before we go on the road.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 8:31 PM.
.JPG)