Panthers get 3 goals in the 2nd period, top Red Wings 4-1

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand got his first Florida goal to cap a three-goal second period, and the Panthers rallied to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Thursday night for their second consecutive win.

Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues also scored in the second, and Aleksander Barkov scored with 5:57 left for the Panthers — getting to 20 goals for the 10th consecutive season.

Alex DeBrincat scored for Detroit, which fell to 6-13-1 in its last 20 games.

The win was the 915th regular-season victory for Panthers coach Paul Maurice, breaking a tie with Barry Trotz for outright possession of third place on the NHL list.

Red Wings: DeBrincat's goal was the 250th of his career and 63rd in two seasons with Detroit. He still has a chance to be Detroit's first 40-goal scorer since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. Since then, 26 franchises have had at least one instance of someone scoring 40 goals.

Panthers: Aaron Ekblad (suspended until Game 3 of playoff Round 1) joined the team for morning skate Thursday, his first team work since being suspended 20 games without pay for violating the terms of the league's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Marchand got a standing ovation from many in the crowd when his goal was announced.

Detroit led 1-0 after one period before Florida rallied. The Panthers were 0-5-1 in their last six games when they conceded the first goal, and 4-12-1 in their last 17 games when trailing after the first period.

Detroit visits Tampa Bay on Friday, the second time this week the Lightning will host a team that played at Florida the previous night. Florida plays host to Buffalo on Saturday — and like Toronto did and Detroit will, the Sabres will also go to Tampa one day after playing in Sunrise.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) kicks the puck away from Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) deflects a shot on goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Holl (3) and Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) go after the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers right wing Mackie Samoskevich (25) celebrates a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) defends against a shot by Detroit Red Wings center Marco Kasper (92) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson (20) falls over goaltender Cam Talbot (39) and into the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot (39) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.

Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.

If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.

For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.

“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.

Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.

"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.

Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.

Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.

Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.

The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.

“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.

As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.

What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.

The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.

One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.

Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.

“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.

The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.

Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.

“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.

Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.

“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)