
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
The Florida Panthers face the Detroit Red Wings in their final game of the 2025-26 NHL season, dealing with multiple injuries, including a fractured tibia for Tomas Nosek. Coach Paul Maurice received updates on the team's injury status following their recent win against the New York Rangers.
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FORT LAUDERDALE — The injuries continue to pile up for the Florida Panthers as they head into their final game of the 2025-26 NHL season tonight against the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
Coach Paul Maurice said he got more bad news from head athletic trainer Dave Dinapoli after Monday’s win against the New York Rangers.
Tomas Nosek, who missed the first five months of the season after injuring his knee during the summer, now has a fractured tibia sustained during a final penalty kill in the third period Monday.
“He’s walked into the coaches’ office about 25 times and has said ‘you’re not going to believe this’,,” Maurice lamented on Wednesday morning. “When he tells me that, and I feel terrible for Nosek, but I asked ‘anyone else?’ I’m expecting two guys to have broken something.’’
Gus Forsling will also be out with a lingering back injury leading to the callup of Mikulas Hovorka.
”He’s got to come out,’’ Maurice said. “There’s no value to him playing today because if he gets it banged again, we’re adding 2-3 weeks of recovery time. He’s given enough.’’
With Forsling out, the Panthers will ice five defensemen who have all played for the AHL Charlotte Checkers this season and the sixth, Donovan Sebrango, was headed to the minors early on before Florida claimed him off waivers from the Senators.
Toby Bjornfot is now the veteran on the Florida blueline with tonight being his 153rd NHL game.
Per the astute mind of radio voice Doug Plagens, the other five Florida defensemen combined have played in fewer games than Bjornfot.
“Old man Bjornfot,” Maurice joked.
The Panthers will be at 541 missed games due to injuries once tonight is complete with 15 players on the shelf.
One bright spot is that new dad Matthew Tkachuk is back and will play in the finale.
“Greatest day of my life,” Tkachuk said.
NOTES: RED WINGS AT PANTHERS
11 Mackie Samoskevich // 27 Eetu Luostarinen // 19 Matthew Tkachuk
32 Wilmer Skoog // 79 Cole Schwindt // 10 A.J. Greer
25 Nolan Foote // 18 Noah Gregor // 70 Jesper Boqvist
29 Cole Reinhardt // 71 Luke Kunin // 24 Vinnie Hinostroza
22 Toby Bjornfot // 20 Mike Benning
6 Donovan Sebrango // 54 Ludvig Jansson
4 Marek Alscher // 96 Mikulas Hovorka
40 Daniil Tarasov
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
**Scratched:**None
Injured: Tomas Nosek (fractured fibula), Gus Forsling (back), Carter Verhaeghe (lower body), Sam Bennett (lower body), Seth Jones (foot), Dmitry Kulikov (finger), Aaron Ekblad (hand), Evan Rodrigues (finger), Sam Reinhart (foot), Niko Mikkola (knee), Anton Lundell (ribs), Uvis Balinskis (fractured foot), Brad Marchand (lower body), Sasha Barkov (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body)
PROJECTED DETROIT RED WINGS (41-30-10, 92) LINES
58 Emmitt Finnie // 71 Dylan Larkin // 23 Lucas Raymond
93 Alex DeBrincat // 18 Andrew Copp // 88 Patrick Kane
57 David Perron // 37 J.T. Compher // 43 Carter Mazur
21 James van Riemsdyk // 92 Marco Kasper // 28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
77 Simon Edvinsson // 53 Moritz Seider
8 Ben Chiarot // 72 Justin Faulk
20 Albert Johansson // 44 Axel Sandin-Pellikka
36 John Gibson
39 Cam Talbot
Scratched: Travis Hamonic, Dominik Shine, Jacob Bernard-Docker
Injured: Michael Rasmussen (lower body), Mason Appleton (upper body)
This article: Final Panthers GameDay v Red Wings: How to Watch, Stream; Lines, Odds, Goalies originally appeared on Florida Hockey Now.
Tomas Nosek has a fractured tibia, adding to the team's injury woes as they prepare for their last game of the season.
The head coach of the Florida Panthers is Paul Maurice.
The final game of the Florida Panthers' 2025-26 NHL season is tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
Tomas Nosek sustained his fractured tibia during a final penalty kill in the third period of the game against the New York Rangers.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
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