SUNRISE, Fla. – The Cats are back.
Kicking off their quest for an elusive three-peat, the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers will raise their second straight Stanley Cup banner prior to hosting the Chicago Blackhawks on Opening Night at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.
“It’s something you look forward to,” forward Anton Lundell said. “I remember last year was probably the most-electric game in my regular season so far. [The ceremony] is something you kind of look back at what you achieved, but it gives you more hunger to do it again.”
Despite locking up three key pending free agents in the offseason in Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, the Panthers will still begin the season shorthanded as Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek are all sidelined by long-term injuries.
But with adversity comes opportunity.
While some fluidity is to be expected, the Panthers will take the ice against the Blackhawks with an intriguing new top-six. Bennett will center Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe on the top line, while Lundell will be flanked by Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart on the second.
All six of those players ranked among the team’s top-eight scorers in last year’s playoffs.
New to the Panthers, Luke Kunin is expected to center the fourth line in Nosek’s absence.
“We’re going to play everybody with everybody,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
On the back end, the Panthers should look very familiar.
Five of the team’s starting six defensemen from the series-clinching Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers in last year's Stanley Cup Final are back – including the top-four of Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola – with Jeff Petry, who will be deployed with Dmitry Kulikov on the bottom pair, being the only newcomer.
During last year’s run to the Cup, the Panthers boasted the best defense and penalty kill in the playoffs.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky will resume his role as Florida’s number one.
With his ticket already punched to the Hall of Fame, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner is coming off a solid 2024-25 season in which he posted a 33-19-2 record with a 2.44 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and five shutouts.
New to the Panthers, Daniil Tarasov will be backing up No. 72.
But even with little turnover, each season presents a new challenge for the champs.
“That’s what the year is, it’s building of that identity and the finding of it,” Maurice said. “We have a core group of values and a style of game, but every year you have to start at a baseline, at a foundation, and build from there.”
After finishing with the second-fewest points (61) in the NHL last season, the Blackhawks are expected to be in rebuild-mode once again this season.
Last season, the boys from the Windy City ranked 26th on offense (2.73 goals per game) and 31st on defense (3.56 goals allowed per game).
Taken with the first-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Connor Bedard took a step forward in his sophomore season with the Blackhawks, leading the team with a career-high 67 points (23G, 44A).
Adding some championship experience to their young roster, the Blackhawks biggest move of the offseason came when they acquired Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken.
A two-time Stanley Cup winner, the 30-year-old veteran notched 37 points (10G, 27A) in 79 games with the Kraken last season.
Making his return to Sunrise, Spencer Knight is expected to man the crease for Chicago in tonight’s opener.
A first-round pick of the Panthers in 2013, the 24-year-old goaltender appeared in 80 career games with Florida before being dealt to Chicago in exchange for Jones at last year’s trade deadline.
“He’s a great guy,” Lundell said of Knight, who hoisted the Cup with the Panthers in 2024. “He’s an unbelievable goalie. I’m happy that he’s doing good and excited to see him again and face him and obviously try and score on him.”
THEY SAID IT
"It's a great opportunity to get on a winning team, get on an organization that every team tries to emulate. I was really happy they gave me the opportunity to tryout, and things have worked out well." – Noah Gregor on signing with the Panthers on Tuesday
"It's a grind for these guys. Last night was a little bit of a nice reminder for them, what the payoff for all that hard work is. It lifts everybody's spirits and gets them excited about tonight." – Paul Maurice on Monday’s championship ring ceremony
“We’re back in it now. The focus shifts now. We’ve got work to do. It’s an emotional night seeing the banner go up. After the puck drops, it’s back to business.” – Sam Bennett on starting a new season
FIVE CATS STATS
- Florida owns an 11-0-2 record when competing in a season-opening game at home.
- Sergei Bobrovsky has recorded wins in five of Florida’s past six home openers.
- The Panthers owned a 27-12-2 record at Amerant Bank Arena in 2024-25.
- Sam Reinhart paced the Panthers in scoring with 81 points (39G, 42A) last season.
- Seth Jones is one goal away from his 100th NHL goal.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Oct. 7: Forward Noah Gregor signed to a one-year, two-way contract
- Oct. 6: Forward Jack Studnicka loaned to Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
- Oct. 5: Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot loaned to Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
- Oct. 3: Forward Cole Schwindt claimed off waivers from Vegas Golden Knights
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, October 7 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV: ESPN
Special Pregame: Tune into Scripps Sports for a special one-hour pregame show
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers App; NHL app; SiriusXM 91 / App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
