{"id":487941,"date":"2026-04-15T08:08:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=487941"},"modified":"2026-04-15T05:16:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T09:16:58","slug":"nhl-predictions-detroit-red-wings-florida-panthers-april-15th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/04\/15\/nhl-predictions-detroit-red-wings-florida-panthers-april-15th\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers, April 15th"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to NHL Predictions,<\/em> where we have two teams looking to end their respective seasons on a high note. The Detroit Red Wings may have hit their highest points total of the Steve Yzerman era. But it was a major letdown<\/a>, considering where they were in March. The Florida Panthers entire 2025-26 season was mired in disappointment, and they\u2019re looking to regroup for next year.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions With the Red Wings and Panthers<\/h2>\n

Season Series:<\/strong> 1-2 Panthers<\/p>\n

Puck Drop:\u00a0<\/strong>7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a>: FDSNDET, SCRIPPS<\/h3>\n

For the Red Wings, this game should be about finding momentum for next season. With Michael Brandsegg-Nygard<\/a> and Axel Sandin-Pellikka<\/a> slated to suit up for this one, a good way would be to give these two more ice time. Both players bounced around the big club and the AHL, but fans would love to see top-six and top-four minutes, respectively, from the duo.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Red Wings Logo, Rotated Counter-Clockwise<\/p>\n

The Panthers have just about every one of their key contributors injured. Therefore, their lineup looks more like a low-level team in a pre-season matchup. From Detroit\u2019s standpoint, it should mean a win is non-negotiable. From Florida\u2019s, it’s a good way to test out some other players who otherwise don\u2019t get much ice time.<\/p>\n

This Game Must Scream \u201cMassive Opportunity\u201d for the Red Wings<\/h3>\n

Many believe games like these don\u2019t count. But they should count for the coaching staff and general manager Steve Yzerman. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has top-six potential, and they must let him play that role. Patrick Kane<\/a> is no shoo-in to return, so someone like Brandsegg-Nygard can get a long look.<\/p>\n

Ditto for Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who built a reputation as an offensive-defenceman. He was going to struggle with growing pains in Detroit, but the Wings must ask this question: Who gives us more long-term value? Sandin-Pellikka or Ben Chiarot<\/a>? On Monday, they skated 17:52 and 17:43, respectively. In the finale, Sandin-Pellikka deserves 20-plus minutes, even if it means cutting more into Chiarot\u2019s ice time or even Justin Faulk<\/a>\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The Panthers Also Have a Power Play<\/h3>\n

Florida knows how good it will be if everyone can stay healthy next season. But the Panthers would love to get a few gems in their depth players. Should someone stand out on Wednesday night, and they carry that momentum into the following season, Florida could more than bounce back.<\/p>\n

Look for them to go hard, as a few players like Cole Reinhardt<\/a> would love to see an expanded role. This makes for one of the more entertaining season finales on the docket.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions<\/h3>\n

The Red Wings still resemble the team, on paper at least, that was a strong contender for the playoffs going into March. Florida doesn\u2019t have that same luxury, even if they\u2019ll show some grit.<\/p>\n

Predictions: Red Wings 4 – Panthers 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop Bets<\/h3>\n

Cole Reinhardt had two goals in 16:03 of ice time on Monday. He will be one to watch, as will Alex DeBrincat<\/a>, who recently hit 41 goals for the third time in his career.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to NHL Predictions, where we have two teams looking to end their respective seasons on a high note. The Detroit Red Wings may have hit their highest points total of the Steve Yzerman era. But it was a major letdown, considering where they were in March. The Florida Panthers entire 2025-26 season was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5796,"featured_media":436420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6201,6255],"class_list":["post-487941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-redwings","category-panthers","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-detroit-red-wings-predictions","tag-florida-panthers-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5796"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487941"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488054,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487941\/revisions\/488054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}