TNT Drops Coverage of Florida Panthers Finale, Game Goes Back to Scripps

The season finale between the Panthers and Red Wings will now be broadcast locally instead of nationally.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 10:04pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented hockey game, with sharp, overlapping planes of navy blue, red, and white, conveying the fractured nature of sports broadcasting.The shifting broadcast landscape leaves hockey fans with fewer national options, but a return to familiar local voices.Sunrise Today

The NHL has announced that the Florida Panthers' season finale against the Detroit Red Wings on April 15, 2026 will no longer be aired nationally on TNT. Instead, the game will return to local broadcasters, with the Panthers' Scripps Network carrying the contest.

Why it matters

This change in broadcast plans is due to the Florida Panthers being out of playoff contention, while the Detroit Red Wings are also close to being eliminated. TNT has decided to replace the game with a matchup between two teams still vying for a postseason spot.

The details

The Panthers' final four regular season games, including the April 15 contest against the Red Wings, will now be carried exclusively on the team's Scripps Network and can be streamed nationally on Panthers+ and ESPN+. This comes after a dispute between Scripps and Comcast Xfinity resulted in the local Scripps channels being pulled from Xfinity cable in the middle of a recent Panthers game.

  • The Panthers have four games remaining in the regular season, starting tonight against the Ottawa Senators.
  • Florida will play two more home games on Monday and Wednesday next week.
  • The season finale against the Red Wings is scheduled for April 15, 2026.

The players

Florida Panthers

The NHL team based in Sunrise, Florida that has been eliminated from playoff contention this season.

Detroit Red Wings

The NHL team based in Detroit, Michigan that is also close to being eliminated from playoff contention this season.

TNT

The national television network that had originally planned to air the Panthers-Red Wings season finale but has since dropped the coverage.

Scripps Network

The local broadcaster that will now carry the Panthers' final four regular season games, including the April 15 matchup against the Red Wings.

Comcast Xfinity

The cable provider that recently pulled the local Scripps channels off its service in the middle of a Panthers game due to a carriage dispute.

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What they’re saying

“For fans of the Red Wings, their local broadcast on FanDuel Sports Detroit may be the end of an era as that outlet closes.”

— George Richards, Author

What’s next

The Panthers have four games remaining in the regular season, with their final home games on Monday and Wednesday next week before the season finale against the Red Wings on April 15.

The takeaway

This change in broadcast plans highlights the shifting landscape of sports media, as networks make decisions based on playoff implications rather than simply airing all regular season games. It also underscores the ongoing challenges faced by local sports broadcasters in securing national carriage deals.