RECAP: Red Wings drop 2025-26 season finale on the road to Panthers, 8-1

SUNRISE, FLA. -- Stumbling against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings ended their 2025-26 campaign with a lopsided 8-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday night.

“Both teams came in with nothing on the line, and you can see their championship pedigree,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “So, I’m going to compliment the Panthers -- it runs throughout their organization. They came and played, and it meant something to them.”

The Red Wings (41-31-10; 92 points) finished 21-16-4 inside Little Caesars Arena and 20-15-6 on the road this season, while the Panthers (40-38-4; 84 points) closed out their campaign with a three-game winning streak.

“We didn’t play like we had respect for the game tonight, and that was the result,” J.T. Compher said. “When you don’t respect an opponent or a game or anything in this League, that’s what happens.”

Detroit trailed 1-0 less than five minutes into the first period on Vinnie Hinostroza’s goal at 4:57, as Florida’s 32-year-old forward threw a puck on net from just inside the top of the right face-off circle that snuck through Gibson. A hooking penalty against Moritz Seider with 5:49 left sent the Red Wings to their first of three power plays of the night, but they couldn’t take advantage.

Three more goals from the Panthers inside the first 10 minutes of the second period -- a one-timer from the middle of the left face-off circle by Luke Kunin at 5:37, then a wrap-around score on the power play from A.J. Greer at 8:56 and a wrist shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle by rookie Mike Benning at 9:39 – quickly made it 4-0.

“When you’re not consistent enough, you’re going to find ways to beat yourself,” James van Riemsdyk said. “So, it’s about finding that consistency to that level that we showed we could play at. And unfortunately, when you get down the stretch, the margins get tighter and when you’re not giving yourself a chance game to game, shift to shift and period to period, you kind of roll the dice and leave the game up for chance.”

Less than three minutes after Benning’s first career NHL goal, goalie John Gibson was slow to get up in the crease after Wilmer Skoog’s shot went off his mask. Head Athletic Trainer Piet VanZant had a brief chat with Gibson, who left the game and was replaced by netminder Cam Tablot. Benning’s second of the frame came at 12:41, deepening the Red Wings’ deficit to 5-0.

Justin Faulk pulled one back for Detroit before the pair of Atlantic Division clubs departed for the second intermission, as the 34-year-old blueliner accepted Alex DeBrincat’s cross-ice pass and buried a wrist-shot from the right face-off circle to make it 5-1 --- that ended goaltender Daniil Tarasov’s shutout bid – at 16:12. Ben Chiarot earned the secondary assist on Faulk’s 16th goal of the season and fifth being acquired by the Red Wings via trade from the St. Louis Blues on March 6.

Things didn’t go well for the Red Wings in the third period either, as Cole Schwindt deflected rookie Marek Alscher’s shot from the edge of the right face-off circle to give the Panthers a 6-1 lead at 8:56. Only 41 seconds later, Cole Reinhardt extended his goal-scoring streak to four straight games to make it 7-1.

“The consistency of all our details all over the ice need to be better every night,” Compher said. “We have been in the position where every point and every single play throughout the year matters, and it was kind of the same thing this year.”

Kunin lit the lamp for a second time at 18:12 of the final frame, rounding out the 8-1 final.

“Every year is a little bit different, but when you get a taste of playing in those games, what those games look like and being competitors, that should fuel you going into your offseason, your training, how you approach it, maybe the things you want to work on over the course of your summer and to get to work to find a way to get more of that consistency in your execution or whatever role that is that you play on a team,” van Riemsdyk said. “Obviously, when you don’t make the playoffs it’s a longer offseason, so there’s no excuse to not use it to come back in September and add some elements to your game or sharpen some things up that you’re already good at.”

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WHAT WAS SAID

van Riemsdyk on Detroit’s season finale

“Not a very good game by us. Just not a lot of execution, not a lot of attention to detail…things like that. It definitely wasn’t a good one.”

van Riemsdyk on late-season games when a club is already eliminated from postseason contention

“Obviously, certainly they’re not easy for that reason. It kind of sucks the wind out of your sails a little bit when you have higher goals for your season and you don’t reach goals. But again, we have to have better pride in representing the jersey, our fans, ourselves and our teammates in here. It just wasn’t acceptable. It wasn’t good.”

Compher on how they played against the Panthers

“There’s not really much to say about it. No one in that room should be anywhere proud of what happened on the ice tonight.”