The Florida Panthers welcome the Minnesota Wild for their 2026-27 home opener, looking to extend their home win streak to eight games, as the club has won its first home game in seven straight seasons. Tonight’s matchup will be the first time in four years the Panthers will not raise a banner in their opener, after unveiling their 2023 Eastern Conference championship banner and back-to-back Stanley Cup championship banners in 2024 and 2025. Overall, the Cats are 21-7-2-2 in home openers all time, which equals a .656 win percentage.
Carter Verhaeghe on the cusp of Panthers history
Heading into the 2026-27 opener, only four players have scored the Panthers' first home goal in multiple seasons: Scott Mellanby (three), Pavel Bure (two), Evgenii Dadonov (two) and Carter Verhaeghe (two). As the only active skater in this year’s lineup with two first goals, Verhaeghe would tie Mellanby for most goals if he tallies the team’s first against the Wild.
Aside from Verhaeghe, only two current Panthers have previously scored the team's first home goal: Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad. Last year’s first goal came off A.J. Greer's stick, who departed for the Anaheim Ducks in the offseason.
Interestingly, the Panthers have never scored a shorthanded or overtime first goal to kick off their home season, but they've registered 10 power-play goals. In addition, the Cats have scored their first goal in the first period 24 times, with four second-period tallies and only two in the third period. In 32 home openers, Florida has been shut out twice: in 2002 by the New York Islanders and in 2010 by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Nathan Horton still owns an unchallenged Panthers record
In the first game after the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, Nathan Horton scored the Panthers' first goal of the season, and the first home goal, at 1:08 of the first period against Mike Dunham and the Atlanta Thrashers. Heading into the 2026-27 season, Horton’s record remains unchallenged, more than two decades after he achieved it.
Historically, only four Florida skaters have scored the team’s first goal within two minutes of the game, including Vincent Trocheck (1:23), Corey Stillman (1:50), and Brad Boyles (1:55).
If scoring the team’s first goal is rare, scoring an overtime winner in the Panthers' home opener is even rarer. Only three players have done so in the team's history. David Booth did it first in 2008, captain Aleksander Barkov next in 2016, and Verhaeghe most recently in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have won one home opener via the shootout, with Marcel Goc securing the only shootout win in home-opener history against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011.
Who will score Florida’s first home goal of the 2026-27 season? Which player could find their name in the team’s record before the final buzzer? Moreover, can the Panthers continue their dominance on home ice?
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