For the first time in the 2025-2026 regular season, the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers faced each other. The Red Wings came into the game on the back of a last-minute win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday (October 13), with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions coming off their first loss of the season. In a back and forth, tightly contested game, the Red Wings recorded a 4-1 victory.
Summary of the game
The first twenty minutes of play were more of a defensive battle than anything else. Both teams fought hard to get something going offensively, and when they did, Cam Talbot (Red Wings) and Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers) both stood tall when challenged. The best scoring opportunity came from a point shot that was redirected in front of Bobrovsky by Red Wings winger Elmer Soderblom. Bobrovsky saved with his helmet, after which the scoring opportunity ended up over the crossbar. After the first period, the match ended in a 0-0 deadlock, with both teams recording nine shots.
The scoring started early in the second period, with Mason Appleton taking advantage of a turnover caused by Dylan Larkin in the offensive zone. Larkin found Appleton in the closing stages for a one-timer that beat Bobrovsky for a 1-0 Red Wings lead less than three minutes into the period. 10 minutes into the middle period, Patrick Kane added the lead on the power play after Larkin won an offensive zone faceoff. Kane’s patience with the puck paid off as he beat Bobrovsky with his glove to give the Red Wings a 2–0 lead. The goal marked the 494th of Kane’s career.
The Panthers closed the gap before the end of the period, with Brad Marchand beating Kane in a one-on-one battle around the back of the net and beating Talbot five-hole with a wrap-around shot to level the match at a 2-1 score heading into the third period.
Related: Kane is already the greatest American-born NHL player of all time
The first half of the third period was quiet offensively, much like the first, but in the final ten minutes of the game both teams started to get quality chances, with the Red Wings appearing to get more of them. But once again Bobrovsky and Talbot answered the bell and stood tall in their respective nets. The biggest save of the period came from Bobrovsky on a straight chance in Larkin’s slot to keep the game at a one-goal Red Wings lead. It remained that way until Appleton put his second of the match into an empty net with just over two minutes remaining, before Michael Rasmussen added another to give the Red Wings a 4–1 win.
In the win, Talbot stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced, while Bobrovsky made 20 saves on 22 shots.
What’s next
The Panthers have a quick turnaround. They head to New Jersey on Thursday (October 16) to take on the Devils, hoping to end their two-game skid. With the win, the Red Wings’ win streak increased to three, and they return to action on Friday (October 17) against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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