Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers Picks and Predictions for Monday, November 2, 2026

Florida is starting to look dangerous again. After two ugly losses on the road, the Panthers have rattled off three victories, including Friday's 5-2 win over Winnipeg. Florida is now 8-4-2, fifth in the Atlantic Division, and has won three of four at Amerant Bank Arena. Detroit arrives with a 6-5-3 record, sitting eighth in the Atlantic after Saturday's 5-4 loss to St. Louis. The Red Wings have been up and down lately, winning three of their previous four before that defeat. Monday's game takes place in Sunrise, Florida, at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN+. Find more matchups in our free NHL picks.

Detroit Red Wings Struggling to Put Wins Together

Four goals should give a team a decent chance of winning. Detroit found out Saturday that it doesn't always work that way. St. Louis scored five at Little Caesars Arena, ending the Red Wings' two-game winning streak. Detroit had beaten Chicago 4-1 on Thursday and edged Edmonton 4-3 in a shootout earlier in the week. Before that, Calgary handed the Red Wings a 4-1 defeat, while Vancouver lost to them 5-2. Detroit has managed three wins in its last five games, but keeping opponents off the scoreboard remains an issue.

Viktor Arvidsson has been finding the net regularly, with eight goals already, four coming on the power play. Alex DeBrincat has six goals and nine assists, and Lucas Raymond is just one point behind him with 14. Detroit could use that production against a Florida club that has tightened things up defensively. The bigger worry is the Red Wings' penalty kill, which has allowed 14 goals in 45 opportunities. John Gibson's .860 save percentage hasn't helped, although Daniil Tarasov has looked much steadier with a .940 mark and one shutout.

Injuries: Dylan Larkin, Mason Appleton, Marco Kasper and Simon Edvinsson are on injured reserve. Albert Johansson is out.

Florida Panthers Have Rediscovered Their Scoring Touch

The Panthers have made life miserable for Winnipeg twice in four days. Florida went into Canada on Tuesday and won 5-1, then welcomed the Jets to Sunrise on Friday for another comfortable victory, this time 5-2. Chicago was also beaten 3-2 during the current winning streak. That's quite a turnaround from Florida's previous two games. Pittsburgh shut the Panthers out 4-0, and Ottawa had beaten them 5-1 the night before. Florida went from scoring once in two games to scoring 13 times in three.

Matthew Tkachuk has been busy setting up teammates, collecting 16 assists alongside four goals. Seth Jones has matched those 16 assists from the blue line, while Brady Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe have each scored eight times. Sam Reinhart isn't far behind with seven goals, six of them coming on the power play. Florida's 24.2% conversion rate with the extra skater could cause Detroit serious problems. Akira Schmid has won five games in goal, although his .889 save percentage suggests the Panthers haven't always made things easy for their goaltender.

Injuries: Brad Marchand, Aleksander Barkov, Jacob Markstrom and Jonah Gadjovich are on injured reserve.

Key To The Game

Detroit's penalty killing could decide this matchup. The Red Wings have allowed 14 power-play goals, while Florida has scored 16 with the extra skater. That difference puts pressure on Detroit to stay disciplined, particularly against Matthew Tkachuk and Jones. The Panthers also have several forwards finishing chances around the net. Detroit needs Arvidsson and DeBrincat creating offense without leaving its defense exposed. Goaltending will matter, too, especially if Florida keeps generating the opportunities it found against Winnipeg.

Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers Game Pick

• Florida Panthers

Florida's last three wins have included two convincing performances against Winnipeg, and its offense has started clicking again. Detroit can make this uncomfortable with Arvidsson and Raymond, but the Red Wings have been difficult to trust defensively. Their struggles killing penalties are especially troubling against Florida's power play. With Matthew Tkachuk setting up chances and Verhaeghe finishing them, the Panthers have several ways to break through. I'm taking Florida to extend its winning streak.

Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers Over/Under Pick

• Over

Detroit's 5-4 loss to St. Louis featured nine goals, and Florida scored five in each of its last two games. The Panthers' power play could be productive against Detroit's struggling penalty kill. Arvidsson and DeBrincat give the Red Wings enough scoring talent to contribute, even if Florida controls much of the play. Neither John Gibson nor Akira Schmid has posted a save percentage above .900 this season. That leaves room for goals at both ends. Over is my pick.