Florida Panthers

Luongo shows little sign of rust, dazzles in return to Panthers lineup

Published Mar. 19, 2015 11:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

SUNRISE, Fla. -- In his return to the Florida Panthers net, Roberto Luongo quickly shook off the accumulated rust of his six-game absence to put forth a superb 60-minute effort on Thursday night.

Luongo, in his first start since sustaining a shoulder injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3, stopped 25 of 26 shots to lead Florida to a crucial 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at the BB&T Center.

"He's so solid," Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson said of Luongo. "He's one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best. Sometimes this year we've leaned on him too much, but for him to step in after (missing) that many games ... To see what he did, still pretty sore, is really impressive.

"We're definitely happy he's back."

Gudbranson and the rest of Florida's defense did their best to help Luongo slowly ease back into the crease on Thursday night as the Panthers allowed just eight shots on net during a scoreless first period against an offensively gifted Detroit lineup.

From there, Jaromir Jagr and Brandon Pirri each netted second-period goals to give Luongo a healthy cushion heading into the third period. In the third, forward Scottie Upshall would put the game out of reach by extending Florida's lead to 3-0 with one more insurance goal.

With victory all but assured, Luongo unfortunately had his shutout bid spoiled on a goal from Red Wings forward Erik Cole midway through the third period. The end result, however, is all that mattered to Florida's 35-year-old netminder.

"I wasn't sure what to expect," said Luongo of his return. "I only really had one practice. I was really happy with the way I felt. The boys played a big game and got a three-goal lead, so it was nice."

When asked if he felt any discomfort during the game, Luongo hinted that he may be feeling some extra soreness, but remained tightlipped on the subject.

"I just played," Luongo said with a laugh. "Let's just say that."

In beating Detroit, the Panthers now trail the Boston Bruins, who fell to the Ottawa Senators 6-4 on Thursday night, by five points for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Nice to see Louie come back in the net and he played a great game," said Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant.

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