SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers returned home and got Aleksander Barkov back from a weeks-long battle with an illness Thursday, but it was one of the least heralded Panthers who powered Florida to an impressive 5-1 rout of the Detroit Red Wings in Sunrise.
Chris Tierney, playing in only his second game since getting called up from AHL Charlotte on Monday, broke the ice with his first goal as a Panther in the first period and Florida never trailed to start another important stretch with a win against a quality opponent.
Tierney got free for a breakaway on a line change by the Red Wings and fired a backhanded shot past Detroit goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic with 1:55 left in the first to put the Panthers up 1-0 and Florida finished the opening period with a massive 15-5 advantage in shots on goal.
