On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings are set to host the Florida Panthers in a matchup that could tilt in Detroit’s favor given Florida’s mounting injury list. The Panthers will be without several key contributors, opening up a window for the Red Wings to exploit.

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It was already confirmed that Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov would be out for seven to nine months after undergoing ACL/MCL surgery, effectively ending his 2025‑26 campaign. Not to mention Florida also lost top line winger Matthew Tkachuk for an undisclosed amount of time to start the season after receiving offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle. This hasn't fazed the Cats at all as they've still managed a 3-1-0 record to start the season. However, another new injury has popped up and this one could start to make Florida look less deadly. 

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Paul Maurice says Dmitry Kulikov will miss the next 5 months after undergoing surgery for an upper-body injury pic.twitter.com/1NULFELDuQ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 15, 2025

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced key defenseman Dmitry Kulikov underwent surgery to repair a labral tear and is expected to miss about five months. The 34-year-old Russian import was an integral part of the Panthers Stanley Cup winning lineup as Kulikov was a key component of Florida’s penalty kill and defensive depth. 

For the Red Wings, this presents a prime opportunity. With Florida’s forward depth thinned and their defensive rotation stretched, Detroit can press harder on both ends of the ice. The Panthers have dominated this match up in recent history with a 23-4-1 record over their last 28 matchups against the Red Wings but the tide may be changing in Detroit's favor. 

A divisional win over the Panthers would go a long way for the Red Wings as they currently sit in a wild card spot and taking away points from teams ahead of them in the standings only betters their chances at clinching their first playoff spot in nearly a decade.

How 'Bout Them Apples: Mason Appleton Happy To Come Up In Clutch For Red Wings First-year Detroit Red Wings forward Mason Appleton came through in the clutch for his team in the final minute of Monday afternoon's tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was both the game-winning goal as well as his first tally since joining the Red Wings.

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