While they await reinforcements from the trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings showed why they need help – and that was before their captain left in the third period looking to be in considerable pain.
The Florida Panthers, near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, gave the Wings a challenge on Friday, March 6 ,at Little Caesars Arena, though some of that was self-inflicted when they left Matthew Tkachuk wide open. He completed a hat trick with an end-to-end empty-net goal with 1:52 left on the clock, handing the Wings a 3-1 loss.
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The Wings (35-21-7) are winless in their last two games, both at home.
For a second straight game, Larkin left in pain. Halfway thorugh the third period, he slid to a stop to take a shot, with Gustav Forsling using his stick to try to poke away the puck. Larkin fell, his right leg bending awkardly. He made it to the bench himself but was helped down the tunnel.
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) looks for a rebound in front of Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
AT THE DEADLINE: Detroit Red Wings are buyers, finally, but avoided big price tags
The Red Wings (35-21-7, 77 points) failed to gain ground on the two teams ahead of them in the Atlantic Division, the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning – both of whom have 80 points in fewer games played than the Wings. Next up, the Wings return to the road for a four-game trip, starting in Newark, New Jersey against the Devils on Sunday (7 p.m., ESPN).
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Looking for help
The game started four hours after the trade deadline. In the 24 hours leading up to the cutoff, the Wings acquired veteran forward David Perron and veteran defenseman Justin Faulk. Faulk is expected to be in the lineup as soon as Sunday, while Perron is roughly two weeks away.
The appeal of both was that they can help make the Wings tougher to play against.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) skates with the puck in the first period against the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) skates with the puck in the first period against the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) looks for a rebound in front of Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka (44) and Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) battle for the puck in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka (44) and Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) battle for the puck in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen (27) skates with the puck in the first period against the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen (27) skates with the puck in the first period against the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings center Marco Kasper (92) and Florida Panthers left wing Tomas Nosek (92) battle for the puck in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) skates in on Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, March 6, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save in the first period against the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, March 6, 2026.
Friday was the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers’ second visit of the season to LCA. They are going through a rough season, having lost Aleksander Barkov to injury during training camp and having Tkachuk on the sidelines for much of the season. (Friday was only his 16th appearance.) They are outside the playoff picture, but with Sergei Bobrovsky in net and the likes of Tkachuk, Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell in the lineup, these cats still have bite.
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That showed in the first period, when Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett won a puck battle against Michael Rasmussen and Albert Johansson, and Verhaeghe hustled to get the puck to Tkachuk, who had no defenders anywhere near him in the slot, giving him time to slide to the left and fire a shot behind John Gibson, at 11:06.
It took a five-on-three power play for the Wings to solve Bobrovksy. with Alex DeBrincat connecting mid-air on Patrick Kane’s shot after it bounced off the boards and back out, at 10:56 of the second period. The goal generated momentum and the Wings attacked Bobrovsky in waves, but he turned away eight shots in the second period, even as his teammates couldn’t get shots on Gibson.
Tkachuk scored again 35 seconds into the third period, tipping Sam Reinhart’s shot during a power play to put the Panthers up, 2-1.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings stumped again by Florida Panthers, 3-1