The Detroit Red Wings endured a difficult evening on Tuesday, one that featured both a painful defeat and another worrying injury. Their matchup against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena carried extra significance after Detroit’s loss to Florida just a few days earlier.
The Red Wings were hoping to respond with a stronger performance and perhaps exact a bit of revenge against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. Instead, the night ended in disappointment once again. Not only did Detroit come up short in a tight 4–3 contest, but the team also lost forward Andrew Copp to a lower-body injury late in the second period, leaving the club with additional uncertainty as it continues its push toward the postseason.
Copp’s injury occurred with 6 minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the middle frame. During a face-off, Florida forward Tomas Nosek fell awkwardly and landed on Copp, causing the Detroit center obvious discomfort. Copp struggled to get to his feet and ultimately had to be helped off the ice by teammates and staff. The veteran forward did not return to the game afterward, and the moment cast a shadow over the remainder of the night for Detroit.
After the game, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan provided an update on Copp’s status, though there was little clarity regarding the severity of the injury.
“Obviously, he didn’t come back,” McLellan said. “He’s being evaluated right now, and he’s going to need further evaluation tomorrow. At this point, it looks doubtful that he’ll be available when we head to Tampa.”
Losing Copp was particularly concerning given the Red Wings’ recent injury issues. The team had already been dealing with the absence of captain Dylan Larkin, who missed time after being injured the previous weekend. With two key players potentially unavailable, Detroit faces the challenge of reshuffling its lineup and leaning on depth players to step up in the coming games.
Despite the adversity, Detroit still managed to battle throughout the night. Goaltender John Gibson delivered a solid performance between the pipes, stopping 22 of the 26 shots he faced. On the other side, Florida goaltender Daniil Tarasov turned aside 25 shots to help the Panthers secure the victory.
The Red Wings entered the contest with a record of 36–22–7, good for 79 points on the season, while the Panthers improved to 32–29–3 with 67 points following the win.
Detroit forward Marco Kasper spoke after the game about how difficult it was to see Copp leave the ice injured.
“It’s never good when a teammate goes down like that,” Kasper said. “Copp is such an important part of our group, and seeing him get hurt obviously isn’t something anyone wants. We already lost Larks last Saturday, so that’s tough as well. You never want to see teammates dealing with injuries like that.”
Kasper added that the team remains hopeful both players will return soon.
“They’re both big pieces for us, and we know they’ll do everything they can to come back as quickly as possible,” he said.
From a performance standpoint, Detroit showed plenty of competitiveness throughout the game. Kasper noted that the Red Wings felt they played well overall, even if the final result did not go their way.
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“I thought we played a strong game,” he said. “In the third period they really started pressing and pushing the pace. We managed to score, but we just have to find a way to finish the game properly. Honestly, we probably deserved at least a point from that one, so it’s really frustrating to walk away with nothing.”
The opening period featured strong early play from Detroit. The Red Wings controlled much of the puck possession and out-attempted the Panthers 11–5 in shot attempts before the first intermission. However, despite that advantage, it was Florida that managed to grab the first goal of the game.
Midway through the first period, Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist carried the puck along the left boards before releasing a shot toward the net. As the puck traveled through traffic, forward Vinnie Hinostroza managed to deflect it past Gibson at 9:48, giving Florida a 1–0 lead.
The goal came somewhat against the flow of play, as Detroit had been generating the majority of the early chances. Nevertheless, the Panthers took that slim lead into the first intermission.
Detroit responded early in the second period thanks to veteran forward Patrick Kane. Just 3 minutes and 54 seconds into the frame, defenseman Moritz Seider fired a shot from the point that Tarasov initially stopped. However, Kane quickly jumped on the rebound and buried it to tie the game at 1–1.
Forward Alex DeBrincat earned the secondary assist on Kane’s tally, which marked his 10th goal of the season.
Kane described the game afterward as one that had an unusual flow due to injuries and shifting line combinations.
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“There were definitely a lot of ups and downs tonight,” Kane said. “With guys getting hurt and some players missing shifts, it wasn’t exactly a normal game. Things felt a little chaotic at times. But I thought a lot of our players stepped up and did a really good job in those moments.”
Later in the second period, Detroit managed to take its first lead of the night thanks to one of the newest members of the roster. Defenseman Justin Faulk, who had recently been acquired from the St. Louis Blues ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, made an immediate impact.
At 12:59 of the second period, Faulk received a pass from Copp and unleashed a dazzling backhand shot from the left face-off circle. The puck soared into the net, giving Detroit a 2–1 lead and marking Faulk’s first goal since joining the Red Wings.
The goal also represented Faulk’s 12th of the season overall.
Coach McLellan praised the veteran defenseman’s quick adaptation to his new surroundings.
“He’s been in the league for twelve years and has a lot of experience,” McLellan said. “Because of that, we expected he would be able to adjust fairly quickly to our system.”
McLellan also noted that the coaching staff and teammates helped Faulk get comfortable with Detroit’s structure during the game.
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“If the situation were reversed and we were bringing in a player without that experience, we might be more concerned,” he explained. “But credit to him for adjusting quickly. The guys on the bench have been working with him, helping him understand some of our face-off coverage and the things we do in the neutral zone. It can happen fast out there, so communication is really important.”
The game remained tightly contested heading into the third period. Florida eventually managed to tie the score early in the final frame when defenseman Niko Mikkola fired a shot from the blue line that made its way through traffic and past Gibson at 5:10, leveling the score at 2–2.
Detroit answered not long afterward with an impressive individual effort from Kasper. Just over a minute later, at 6:32, Kasper broke free on a breakaway after receiving a well-timed pass from teammate Emmitt Finnie. Kasper raced in alone and snapped the puck past Tarasov to restore Detroit’s lead at 3–2.
Faulk picked up an assist on the play as well, giving him his first multi-point performance since joining the Red Wings.
Kasper explained that he tried to keep his approach simple while continuing to play the same style that has defined his game.
“I’m not trying to change too much,” Kasper said. “I just want to keep playing my game and working hard.”
He also praised the chemistry developing on his line.
“Playing with Finns and Ray today, I think we complemented each other really well,” he said. “We played a hard, fast-paced style, and that seemed to work well for us.”
For much of the third period, it appeared Detroit might hold on to secure the victory. However, the Panthers mounted a late push and ultimately turned the game around in dramatic fashion.
With Florida trailing late in regulation, Tarasov was pulled for an extra attacker. The strategy paid off when forward Carter Verhaeghe scored the tying goal with 1 minute and 30 seconds remaining. The goal came at 18:30 with Tarasov still on the bench, tying the score at 3–3 and shifting momentum dramatically in Florida’s favor.
Then, in a crushing turn of events for Detroit, Verhaeghe struck again just 15 seconds before the end of regulation. His second goal of the night came at even strength and completed Florida’s comeback, giving the Panthers a 4–3 lead that would stand as the final score.
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Kane later spoke about the importance of late-game management, particularly when protecting a narrow lead.
“That’s something we talk about all the time,” Kane said. “In those third-period situations, we emphasize getting up the ice and continuing to apply pressure instead of sitting back.”
He acknowledged that the team is still working on executing that strategy consistently.
“We want to stay aggressive, get in on the forecheck, and control play,” he explained. “It’s something we’re still trying to figure out and improve.”
The loss was especially frustrating for Detroit because of how close the team came to earning at least one point in the standings. Instead, the Red Wings left Florida empty-handed after surrendering the lead in the closing minutes.
Adding to the challenge moving forward is the uncertainty surrounding Copp and Larkin. With Copp needing further medical evaluation and Larkin considered doubtful for the remainder of the road trip, Detroit may need to rely heavily on depth players and younger contributors in the coming games.
Coach McLellan emphasized that the team cannot dwell on injuries or setbacks.
“It’s definitely a big challenge for us,” McLellan said. “But nobody around the league is going to feel sorry for the Detroit Red Wings, and nobody in our locker room should feel sorry for themselves either.”
He stressed that the team must remain focused on its responsibilities and continue pushing forward.
“We have a job to do,” he said. “The first step is recovering from this loss and moving on mentally. Then we have to figure out how to fill the gaps in our lineup.”
Despite the disappointing result, McLellan saw positive signs in how the team responded after Copp left the game.
“When you look at the effort after Copper went down, I thought our group competed hard,” he said. “We showed we can still play a strong game even when we’re missing important players.”
The coach concluded by expressing confidence that the team can continue performing well regardless of lineup challenges.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t bring that level of effort every night,” McLellan said. “With or without him, we have to be ready to compete.”
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