SUNRISE, Fla. -- Still in the chase for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot, the Detroit Red Wings will kick off a back-to-back set in the Sunshine State when they face the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday night.

With nothing left to lose but their 1% playoff chances, the Detroit Red Wings once again will look to Cam Talbot. The 37-year-old netminder will be making his sixth straight start Thursday when the Wings take on the Florida Panthers.

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.

If Detroit had pulled off the win over the Canadiens, it would have trimmed Montreal’s lead in the Eastern Conference wild-card race to just four points, with the Red Wings having an extra game remaining (five). That’s still a long shot, to be sure, but it was enough to give them a fighting chance.

The Detroit Red Wings face near elimination from playoff contention after a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The Wings must earn at least one point against the Florida Panthers to avoid missing the playoffs for a ninth straight year.

The Detroit Red Wings’ margin for error in the playoff race for weeks was slim. Now they have none. The Red Wings were pushed to the brink of elimination Thursday with a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Arena.