By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Red Wings 4, Panthers 3 (SO) – Frans Nielsen’s game-tying and shootout goal propelled the Red Wings to a win over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
Nielsen tied the game at 3-3 with 6:09 left in the third period to force overtime for the Red Wings, then scored during the third round of the shootout to give Detroit a 2-1 advantage in the stanza.
Red Wings’ goaltender Jared Coreau stopped Florida’s Nick Bjugstad to pick up his first win in the NHL after stopping 31 of 34 shots in the contest.
The Red Wings are now 15-15-4 on the season, good for 34 points and seventh place in the Atlantic Division. They are six points behind the Boston Bruins for a playoff spot.
The Panthers led 1-0 after the first period on a Reilly Smith goal with 2:20 left in the opening stanza.
Detroit tied the 1-1 on an Anthony Mantha goal just 12 seconds into the second period.
Florida responded with two goals to take a 3-1 advantage after the second period on goals from Jason Demers and Derek MacKenzie.
Drew Miller cut Detroit’s deficit to 3-2 on a goal at the 1:36 mark of the third period before Nielsen tied the game 3-3 with 6:09 left.
After a scoreless overtime, Thomas Vanek opened the shootout scoring for Detroit during the second round before the Panthers tied it 1-1 on an Aleksander Barkov tally.
Nielsen clinched the win during the third round of the shootout.
Detroit will host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night looking to start a winning streak.
Record: 15-15-4 34 pts
7th Place in Atlantic Division (12 points behind first place Montreal)
13th Place in Eastern Conference (16 points behind first place Columbus)
6 points behind Boston for the last playoff spot
Magic # of pts to clinch a playoff berth: 99 pts
Magic # of pts to clinch a regular season Atlantic Division title: 109 pts
Magic # of pts to clinch a regular season Eastern Conference title: 117 pts
Next Game: 12/27/2016 vs Buffalo Sabres 7:30 p.m. @ Joe Louis Arena
Stats: Goals- Anthony Mantha (6), Drew Miller (3), Frans Nielsen (8). Assists- Henrik Zetterberg (17), Andreas Athanasiou (2), Dylan Larkin (3), Gustav Nyquist (14), Thomas Vanek (13). SO- DET 2 (Vanek, Nielsen) FLO 1. Goalie- Jared Coreau W (1-1-0) 31 saves on 34 shots.
Warriors 119, Pistons 113 – The Golden St. Warriors handed the Pistons their five straight loss on Friday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Warriors had a 33-32 lead after the first quarter, the Pistons took a 59-57 halftime lead, then fell behind 88-84 heading into the fourth quarter. Golden St. outscored the Pistons by a 31-29 margin during the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Kevin Durant led the Warriors with a game-high 32 points, while Stephen Curry added 25 and Klay Thompson chipped in with 17.
The Pistons, who dropped their record to 14-18 on the season, were paced by Tobias Harris, who scored 26 points off the bench for Detroit.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed with 25 points, while Reggie Jackson added 17.
Detroit will return to action after Christmas on Monday night to host the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Record: 14-18
5th Place in Central Division (10 games behind first place Cleveland)
Tied 11th Place in Eastern Conference (10 games behind first place Cleveland)
1.5 games behind Indiana for the last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 54
Magic # to clinch a Central Division title: 63
Magic # to clinch a regular season Eastern Conference title: 63
Next Game: 12/26/2016 vs Cleveland Cavaliers 7:30 p.m. @ Palace of Auburn Hills
Stats: Tobias Harris 26 points 7 rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 25 points, Reggie Jackson 17 points 6 assists, Andre Drummond 15 points 9 rebounds.
