The Florida Panthers' quest to return to the Stanley Cup Final begins, ironically, against the reigning champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, at the Amerant Bank Arena on September 20.
On Thursday, the team announced its NHL preseason schedule, which will feature four games in six nights against the Hurricanes and their cross-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The road to the regular season starts here 🚨
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 25, 2026
We will face the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-game preseason slate!
📅 Sept. 20 vs. Carolina
📅 Sept. 22 @ Carolina
📅 Sept. 24 @ Tampa Bay
📅 Sept. 26 vs. Tampa Bay
Full schedule » https://t.co/Kp9nIAxU8m pic.twitter.com/ENqzjAStA6
As part of a new agreement between the NHLPA and the NHL, preseason games will be reduced to just four to limit opportunities for players to risk injury before the start of the regular season.
Last year, fresh off winning the Stanley Cup on June 18, the Panthers hit the ice for the first time in preseason hockey on September 21, a span of just 95 days. They were swept by the Nashville Predators in a two-game set, 5-0 and 5-3.
Interestingly, recent Stanley Cup Final folk hero, Brandon Bussi, made his only appearance for the Panthers in the 5-0 loss in the opener. The team would then go on to sweep the next two against the Hurricanes, 4-2 and 4-3, with the last one going to overtime.
Florida finished off their preseason schedule with three contests against the Lightning, dropping 3-2 and 5-2 contests on home ice before destroying Tampa Bay on their home ice, 7-0 on Oct. 5, two days before Opening Night.
After missing the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, the Panthers will have 157 days off, the first time in four years they have had that much time off in between campaigns. Moreover, with a healthy lineup and the addition of Brady Tkachuk and Garnet Hathaway, Florida players should be eager to get back on the ice and find their chemistry together in competitive games.
Here’s a look at the Panthers 2026-27 preseason schedule:
- Sunday, Sept. 20 vs. Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET) at Amerant Bank Arena
- Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET) at Lenovo Center
- Thursday, Sept. 24 at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET) at Benchmark International Arena
- Saturday, Sept. 26 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (6 p.m. ET) at Amerant Bank Arena
According to the team’s media release, all games will be available for free on PanthersPlus.TV.
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