Red Wings' late season swoon continues as surging Panthers win, 5-2

Detroit — As the regular season skates into its final few weeks, many teams are fine-tuning their games for the playoffs and playing their best hockey.

The Red Wings, it's becoming increasingly clear, aren't going to make the playoffs. The Wings also aren't playing their best hockey.

Florida gave another example Monday for the Wings of a team ratcheting its game, continuing a late-season surge with a 5-2 victory.

Florida scored two goals early in the first period and forced the Wings to play catch-up. The Wings never were able to rally all the way back.

"Easy offense (allowed) in a couple situations for them," said coach Derek Lalonde of what proved to be the Wings' downfall. "I really felt we had a good chance to tie that game up and, then probably our inability to finish with a couple of our chances in the second (period).

"It's frustrating but a reality of where we're at. We have to slot some guys, a couple of our defensemen, and it's tough, in an increased role which is a reality of where they're slotted right now."

Defenseman Olli Maatta was minus-four and partner Jordan Oesterle was minus-three, playing as the second pair, a prime example of the Wings having players above where they were earlier in the season.

Pius Suter scored his 13th goal and Dylan Larkin scored his 26th for the Wings.

Larkin's goal cut the Panthers lead to 3-2 at 7 minutes, 53 seconds of the third period. On a delay penalty, Lucas Raymond found Larkin near the goal line and Larkin snapped a bad angle shot past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

But the Panthers restored the two-goal lead when Anthony Duclair stripped Maatta of the puck leading to a two-on-none rush, and Duclair feeding Eric Staal for the goal at 16:08.

"Unfortunately we just handed them that fourth goal and it didn't give us much of a chance (to rally)," Lalonde said.

Carter Verhaeghe then added his second goal of the game and 36th of the season, on the power play, capping the scoring at 18:37.

While some teams, like the Panthers, are surging in these final weeks, the Wings (30-30-9) are going the other direction.

BOX SCORE: Panthers 5, Red Wings 2

Since the Wings moved into an Eastern Conference playoff spot on Feb. 23 with an impressive victory over the New York Rangers, the Wings have only won two of their last 12 (2-9-1). The playoffs have become a distant dream. Now, it's remaining competitive and respectable these final 13 games.

"After being in five straight playoffs, these games, you have to find a way to inspire your teammates and inspire yourself," said forward Andrew Copp, who has been in several long playoff runs with Winnipeg and the New York Rangers in recent seasons. "But that can be hard. That's our challenge. That's the challenge from the other guys in the room to find that inspiration and for the younger guys, proving that you belong in the NHL.

"A lot of guys that we have are playing for spots going forward, everyone is really, so you have to find that gear to push yourself."

Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling added Panthers goals, while Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots.

The Panthers (36-27-7) have won three straight and eight of their last 11 (8-2-1), and with Pittsburgh losing Monday, the Panthers moved into the second and final wild-card spot.

Tkachuk opened the scoring with his 33rd goal. Sam Bennett intercepted a costly Raymond turnover deep in the zone and fed an open Tkachuk, who deposited the puck past Husso.

Florida pushed it to 2-0 exactly five minutes later with Verhaeghe's 35th goal.

Verhaeghe snapped a shot in the high slot that goaltender Ville Husso (20 saves) couldn't find, while fighting off bodies in his crease.

The Wings challenged for goalie interference on the goal, but the goal stood. After the Florida power play expired, the Wings skated right down and scored. Suter knocked in a loose puck in the crease, after David Perron ran out of room attempting to curl the puck past Bobrovsky.

"There's going to be things that happen over the course of the game, but there are also some non-negotiables that we need to stick to and for the most part, it was all right," Copp said. "Turnovers cost us, especially in the first period, but we have to find a way to play more inspired than we did."

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, in his second NHL game, was noticeable all evening with one hit and one takeaway in 14:17 of ice time, and creating several offensive chances.

But Edvinsson appeared to sustain a lower-body injury in the third period on a collision with Florida's Radko Gudas. Edvinsson returned to the game but was hampered, and his availability for Tuesday's game in St. Louis was unclear.

"He's getting to get looked at now," said Lalonde after the game. "I give him credit for coming back but he's got some discomfort there. He's there with the doctors and taking a picture of it.

"He was our best defenseman (Monday). He created some plays, gapped, he was hard (physically). There were some positives, and a little bit of growth over the last game."

Gustav Lindstrom, who Edvinsson has been replacing on an emergency recall from Grand Rapids, is close to returning, and could be ready to play Tuesday, said Lalonde. If not, the Wings could recall another available defenseman from Grand Rapids.

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan