The Florida Panthers fell for a second straight time with their 3-0 shut out loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
After seeing its five-game winning streak end on Saturday, Florida was unable to return to the win column due to its quiet offense. During Florida's successful run in December and January, the team scored goals at a rapid and consistent pace. That wasn't the case in this loss however, as Detroit's goalie Petr Mrazek did a solid job stopping all 23 shots sent his way.
Despite the loss, the Panthers remain comfortably ahead in the Atlantic Division with 68 points. Florida's 31-15-6 record is one of the best in the entire NHL, and it is within striking distance of the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Capitals currently sit atop the East with their 80 points.
With a back-to-back scheduled for Tuesday, the Panthers turned to Al Montoya in the net for this game. Through the first two periods, Montoya did a great job to keep the score locked at zero. Things took a turn for the worse in the third period however, as Detroit went on to score all of its goals in that final period.
In a span of roughly eight minutes, the game went from 0-0 to a three-point margin. Montoya ended up with 28 saves on 31 chances and will head back to the bench for Florida's next game.
Dave Bolland, Erik Gudbranson, and Shawn Thornton were all out of action for Florida in the loss.
The Panthers will look to wipe away the memories of two straight losses when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Tuesday evening.
