The Florida Panthers are in Raleigh to open the 2026-27 regular season against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. The team is healthy again (except for Jonah Gadjovich), captain Aleskander Barkov is back after working the rust off with a successful turn at the World Championship, prize acquisition Brady Tkachuk will play his first game as a Cat, and returning goalkeeper Jacob Markstrom will be between the pipes instead of Sergei Bobrovsky.
Carolina, who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to win its its second title in June, return much of the same lineup, with goaltender Frederik Andersen the only notable departure. Brandon Bussi racked up 31 wins last season, but struggled at the end of the campaign. However, Bussi’s heroics led to the Hurricanes winning the title. Rising star Seth Jarvis underwent offseason surgery in late June to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder and will miss considerable time.
- WHEN: 5 p.m. ET
- WHERE: Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
- ON THE TUBE: ESPN
- ON THE DIAL: 104.3 WQAM (D/B), 106.3 ESPN (PB), Thunder 100.3 (Keys)
- SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #CarolinaCulture, #FLAvsCAR, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- ENEMY INTEL: Canes Country
- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 1 of 3
- LAST MEETING: @CAR 9, FLA 1 (Recap) – 1/16/26
- NEXT MEETING: January 21, 2027
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Florida: Markstrom Carolina: Bussi
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Carolina
Tuesday in the Atlantic (Standings/Panthers Playoff Chances)
- MONTREAL at TORONTO 7 p.m.
- New York Rangers at BOSTON 7 p.m.
Idle: BUF, DET, OTT, TBL