most powerful person in the organization, seems to agree with him. The president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, which owns the team and the arena, gave Holland a two-year contract earlier this year to continue guidin

SUNRISE Dylan DeMelo Jersey Womens , Fla. (AP) — Tomas Tatar never thought his game was off track, and he showed that for the Canadiens in their first game after the holiday break.Tatar scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the third period, and the Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Friday night.The left wing scored on a turnover in the first minute and broke a 2-2 tie with a shot that beat goalie Roberto Luongo on the near post in the third period. Tatar had been on a six-game point drought over a nine-day period this month.“I never really thought (my play) was out. We were winning. It’s a team effort every night and it doesn’t really matter who’s going to score, who’s going to produce the most,” Tatar said.Jonathan Drouin had a goal and an assist, and Nicolas Deslauriers and Artturi Lehkonen also scored for the Canadiens, who won their third straight.Henrik Borgstrom, Denis Malgin and Keith Yandle scored for the Panthers, who ended a two-game winning streak, and Mike Hoffman had two assists.Montreal’s Antti Niemi, in for injured Carey Price, and Luongo each stopped 23 shots.“I thought the second and third period (Niemi) played well,” said Claude Julien of Niemi, who gave up seven goals in his last appearance on Dec. 11. “I like the way he reacted (in those periods). The first period maybe a little rusty, but we didn’t help him with the chances we gave them on those goals.“Give him credit for the way he handled himself from the second period on.”Montreal scored twice in the first three minutes. Tatar capitalized on a turnover by defenseman Mike Matheson behind Florida’s net to backhand in his 13th goal just 35 seconds in, and Victor Mete’s long shot struck Deslauriers and flew by Luongo for his second goal at 2:51The lackluster play has not been characteristic of Florida, which had won four of five.“I’d like to say it was a bad team start, but I think a couple of individuals started bad and that (messed up) the rest of us Gabriel Gagne Jersey Womens ,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said. “We didn’t have a chance to get our third and fourth lines on the ice before it was 2-0.”Florida bounced back with two goals in the frenzied period.Borgstrom took a feed from Mike Hoffman and buried his second goal from the slot at 8:01, and Malgin swatted in his fourth goal at 13:53 after Niemi’s paddle save bounced off Paul Byron and went back toward the goal and Malgin in the low slot.After the pace slowed in a scoreless second period, Tatar scored again at 8:54 on a one-timer, just five seconds after Florida got one player back from a 5-on-3 penalty kill.Lehkonen scored at 15:40 for a two-goal edge, and Yandle scored his sixth goal on the power play with 1:16 remaining.Following Yandle’s goal, Florida pulled Luongo and had a couple of great chances in tight on Niemi to tie the contest in the last minute, but Drouin scored his 12th goal into an empty net at 19:37 to seal the win.Boughner said his Panthers, who will play at home against Philadelphia, must get better production out of their top line, which produced just two shots and one Aleksander Barkov assist.NOTES: Montreal placed Price (lower body) on the injured reserve list Thursday, retroactive to Dec. 22, and said the former Vezina Trophy winner would miss the final three contests on the road trip. The club called up Michael McNiven from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on an emergency basis. … Among Florida’s scratches was F Nick Bjugstad (upper-body), who missed his ninth consecutive game. The Minnesota native was close to returning at the end of the four-game trip before the holiday break but was held out. … The game was the first of four meetings between the teams.UP NEXTCanadiens: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.Panthers: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit Red Wings home game looks and sounds a little like a memorial these days.The lights are dimmed as images of the franchise’s glorious past flash digitally onto the ice before the puck drops, reminding the relative few fans in the stands how good things used to be. And, they were good. Really good.Detroit’s 11 Stanley Cup banners are lowered from the rafters where retired jerseys are also displayed, rekindling memories of the four titles from 1997 to 2008 and the seven championships from 1936-55. The most successful U.S.-based NHL franchise has had some of the game’s all-time greats wear its sweater, adorned with a winged well, from Gordie Howe to Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.The good times fade during the lights-and-sounds pregame show as the pace of the music picks up and a video montage shows the current team, mostly a mix of role-playing veterans and not-ready prospects. When the lights are turned up closer to game time James Van Riemsdyk Jersey Womens , more seats appear to be empty than occupied on some nights.Detroit is among the worst teams in the league this season — as expected and by design. The Red Wings hope a painfully poor season will help get them on the fast track to retool with difference-making players in the draft along with some help from veterans in free agency.“I knew it was coming and I was prepared for it,” said Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano, who is in his 37th season with the team and his 52nd in the NHL. “I don’t like it. It upsets me, but not to the point that I’m going to go off the deep end.” The Red Wings appear destined to miss the playoffs for a third straight year after a remarkable run of 25 consecutive postseason appearances. Other than the current players and coaches, who are trying to win every game, losing is seen as a necessary evil. Some fans, though, appear to be so fed up they don’t even sit in seats they paid for to attend games.In an effort to make the sparsely filled sections at Little Caesars Arena stand out less in person and on TV, the backs of red seats have been temporarily covered in black. They will eventually be replaced by black chairs at a considerable cost in a 1-year-old arena that is the centerpiece of a $1.2 billion project.Detroit got off to the worst start in franchise history by opening with seven losses and winning only one of its first 10 games. The Red Wings have bounced back with four wins in their last five.“I wouldn’t say it takes the sting out of the slow start, but it’s something to build off of for sure,” forward Justin Abdelkader said during the recent surge.Winning could prove to be counterproductive for the Motor City’s hockey team this season.Part of what has held the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort back is the fact they haven’t had a No. 1 overall pick in the draft in recent years to get a generational player. If they lose enough this season and have some luck in the NHL draft lottery to get the top pick, Jack Hughes would give the franchise and its followers a desperately needed boost. Hughes is a playmaking center for USA Hockey’s 18-under team, which trains and plays in suburban Detroit. His skill would help the team on the ice, though perhaps not right away, and his presence would provide a boost in interest for a team struggling to regain its standing as one of the most popular in a sports-crazed state.The Red Wings have also hurt their chances of continuing the success they had for two-plus decades by drafting players, particularly on the blue line, that didn’t pan out. And while Detroit is close to the bottom in the NHL standings, its payroll is larger than about 20 teams in the league.The team has invested in its 2014 first-round pick, 22-year-old center Dylan Larkin Matt Cullen Jersey Womens , by giving him a $30.5 million, six-year contract last summer. It is trying to surround him with players to push the franchise back toward the playoffs and eventually championship contention.“We’ve got to rebuild by drafting, developing and being patient,” general manager Ken Holland said early in his 22nd season in charge and 36th with the franchise. “I believe we’re headed in the right direction with a lot of young kids we think are ready to come of age.”Chris Ilitch, the most powerful person in the organization, seems to agree with him. The president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, which owns the team and the arena, gave Holland a two-year contract earlier this year to continue guiding a long-term rebuilding project that is counting on 30-plus draft picks from 2017-19.“Kenny Holland has done a marvelous job at accumulating picks, which are so important to executing a successful rebuild,” Ilitch said. “I think you’re starting to see the fruits of the labor.”GAME OF THE WEEKThe defending champion Washington Capitals host Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, the first meeting between the teams since the Penguins won their season opener. Pittsburgh has lost a season-high four straight games after a strong start, while Washington has dropped three of five.LEADERSGoals: David Pastrnak (Boston), 12; Assists: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), 19; Points: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), 24; Wins: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) and Frederik Andersen (Toronto), 8; Goals-against average: Jaroslav Halak (Boston), 1.45; Save percentage: Jaroslav Halak (Boston), .952.