National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 5, Detroit 2
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 30, 2016
Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Referees: Jake Brenk, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen: John Grandt, Shane Heyer
Attendance: 20027

DETROIT -- Florida Panthers center Colton Sceviour couldn't even recall the last time he scored three goals in a game.

Sceviour had three goals -- one at even strength, one on the power play and one shorthanded -- and an assist for his first career hat trick to lead the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.

"That was exciting; I can't even remember the last hat trick I scored," Sceviour said. "I can't take too much credit, though. I think all three goals were shots from the blue (the crease)."

Florida coach Gerard Gallant said Sceviour deserves everything he got on the night.

"He's a smart veteran player who is getting more ice time, and he's taking advantage," Gallant said. "He works hard every day, so it was good to see him have a career night like this."

Forward Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist and forward Jonathan Marchessault also scored for the Panthers (4-4-1), which snapped a three-game losing streak. Goalie James Reimer made 34 saves.

"It was huge to get this win after the three losses on this trip," Gallant said. "We were able to turn around the way we were playing. We were coming off a bad loss, but so was Detroit."

Forward Dylan Larkin and defenseman Brendan Smith scored for the Red Wings (6-4-0) and center Frans Nielsen had two assists. Goaltender Peter Mrazek stopped six shots before being replaced by netminder Jimmy Howard in the second period. Howard made 13 saves.

"Not good enough in the first. We didn't compete hard enough. We didn't execute well enough, so when you get yourself down 3-0, you're digging yourself out," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "We came out in the second and we played harder, we did lots of things better but we didn't play smart at all. We gave up crazy chances where it's too easy to score against us. Not good enough".

Florida scored three goals in the first period to take a 3-0 lead.

Sceviour scored twice within 23 seconds to make it 2-0.

He scored a power-play goal 6:09 into the game when he tipped in Trocheck's cross-crease pass. Sceviour then put in a loose puck from in front at 6:32. Marchessault made it 3-0, with 2:32 left in the first period, when he tipped in a cross-ice pass from Denis Malgin to complete a 2-on-1 rush. It was Marchessault's sixth goal.

"Bad first. I thought they really came in and took charge again, something that we got to be better at," Detroit captain and forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "I thought in the second we got back into it, worked ourselves into the game and kept on going in the third, too, but a little too

late."

Larkin's power-play goal put the Red Wings on the scoreboard 2:36 into the second period. He beat Reimer with a one-timer from the right circle. It was Larkin's third goal.

But Trocheck restored the three-goal margin 2:26 later on a snap shot from the inside edge of the left circle off the rush. It was Trocheck's fourth goal.

Mrazek was then replaced by Howard.

Sceviour completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal with 3:35 left in the middle period. He put a loose puck into an empty net. It was his fifth goal this season, with four coming against Detroit.

Smith scored a power-play goal with 9:57 left. It was his first goal.

NOTE: Detroit LW Thomas Vanek, who missed his third game with a lower-body injury, has been downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week. ... Both teams are playing the second of back-to-back games and were shut out on Saturday. Florida lost 3-0 at Buffalo in the afternoon and the Red Wings dropped a 1-0 decision to the Boston Bruins at Joe Louis Arena Saturday night. ... Panthers coach Gerard Gallant spent most of his NHL playing career with Detroit. ... Red Wings D Xavier Ouellet replaced D Ryan Sproul in the lineup. ... This is the second game between the teams this season. Florida won 4-1 at home on Oct. 15.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Detroit
Colton Sceviour 4 Points Brendan Smith 2
Colton Sceviour 3 Goals Brendan Smith 1
Jason Demers 2 Assists Frans Nielsen 2
Colton Sceviour 1 Power Play Goals Brendan Smith 1
Colton Sceviour 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
James Reimer .944 Save Percentage Jimmy Howard .929
James Reimer 34 Saves Jimmy Howard 13
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 24 5 1-4 3-5 10 21
Detroit 36 2 2-5 3-4 8 38
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Boston. The Panthers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .400 after a loss.