The Florida Panthers staged a dramatic late comeback Tuesday night, scoring twice in the final 90 seconds to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4–3 in an electrifying NHL showdown.
Forward Carter Verhaeghe delivered the heroics, netting two goals in the closing moments to lift Florida to the victory. With Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov pulled for an extra attacker, Verhaeghe tied the game with 1:30 remaining, blasting a shot past Detroit goalie Josh Gibson to even the score at 3–3.
The Panthers weren’t finished. With just 15 seconds left in regulation, Verhaeghe struck again. After taking a pass from Matthew Tkachuk, his shot deflected off the skate of Detroit defenseman Justin Faulk and slipped past Gibson, completing the stunning rally and sending the home crowd into celebration.
Florida also got contributions earlier in the game from Vinnie Hinostroza and Niko Mikkola. Hinostroza, recently acquired from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline, scored his first goal with the Panthers at 9:48 of the opening period to give Florida a 1–0 lead. He added an assist later in the night for his first multi-point performance since returning to the team he briefly played for during the 2020–21 season.
Detroit responded in the second period. Faulk, playing just his second game with the Red Wings after being acquired from the St. Louis Blues at the trade deadline, scored on a backhand from about 30 feet out at 12:59 of the period to give Detroit a 2–1 lead. He finished with a goal and an assist.
The Panthers tied the game early in the third when Mikkola fired a bouncing shot from the blue line that deflected off Faulk’s skate and past Gibson at 5:10. However, the Red Wings quickly reclaimed the advantage just over a minute later when rookie forward Marco Kasper scored on a breakaway to make it 3–2. Veteran star Patrick Kane also scored for Detroit earlier in the contest.
Tarasov finished with 25 saves for Florida, while Gibson stopped 24 shots for Detroit.
The Red Wings also suffered a potential setback when center Andrew Copp left in the second period with an apparent left leg injury and did not return.
Florida’s comeback was even more impressive considering the team played without its two leading scorers, Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart.
The Panthers have now beaten Detroit twice in less than a week after a 3–1 victory in Michigan last Friday.
The Detroit Red Wings travel to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Florida Panthers return home to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
