National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 3, Detroit 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 19, 2015
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Marc Joannette, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen: Andy McElman, Scott Driscoll
Attendance: 11458

Panthers 3, Red Wings 1: Jaromir Jagr scored his 718th career goal to move into fifth place in league history and Roberto Luongo made 26 saves in his return from a shoulder injury as host Florida topped Detroit.

Jagr passed Phil Esposito with his tally midway into the second period and also notched an assist on Brandon Pirri's fourth goal in as many games. Scottie Upshall also tallied for the Panthers, who defeated the Red Wings for the third time in four meetings to climb within five points of Boston in the race for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Erik Cole reached the 20-goal plateau by scoring midway through the third period for Detroit, which has dropped five of its last seven to remain six points behind second-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division. Petr Mrazek turned aside 29 shots in defeat.

Jagr ended a scoreless draw at 10:55 of the middle session, settling Jonathan Huberdeau's feed before snapping a shot from the left faceoff circle past Mrazek for his second goal in nine games since being acquired from New Jersey. The 43-year-old Jagr wasn't done, as his next shot was deflected home by Pirri less than four minutes later for the latter's 14th goal in 19 contests.

Upshall scored an unassisted goal 6:50 into the third period before Cole answered over three minutes later, but Detroit was unable to solve Luongo again. The 35-year-old, who had missed six games since injuring his shoulder versus Toronto, recorded his first win since defeating Buffalo on Feb. 28.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Jagr has collected 11 career goals against Detroit, and two this season versus Mrazek. The veteran Czech also tallied against his countryman while playing with New Jersey on Nov. 28. ... Red Wings C Pavel Datsyuk sat out with a lower-body ailment, but C Darren Helm returned following a seven-game absence due to an oblique injury. ... Detroit went 0-for-2 on the power play, ending a nine-game run with at least one power-play goal.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Florida
Erik Cole 1 Points Jaromir Jagr 2
Erik Cole 1 Goals Jaromir Jagr 1
Riley Sheahan 1 Assists Jaromir Jagr 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Petr Mrazek .906 Save Percentage Roberto Luongo .963
Petr Mrazek 29 Saves Roberto Luongo 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 27 1 0-2 3-3 6 31
Florida 32 3 0-3 2-2 4 30
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Boston. The Panthers have a W/L % of .355 after a win and .525 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .567 after a loss.