SUNRISE - Sasha Barkov stepped back onto Amerant Bank Arena ice Saturday night for the first time since Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, leading the Florida Panthers into a four-game preseason slate against the Carolina Hurricanes with the regular season just nine days away.
Barkov missed all of last season after injuring his right knee on his first day of training camp in September 2025. Coach Paul Maurice is playing most of his regulars in the 7 p.m. opener, with Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway among the few notable absences from the opening lineup. Carolina, according to Florida Hockey Now, is bringing an AHL-heavy lineup.
“We all understand preseason games are important, these practice games are important,” Barkov said. “But it is nice that we’re not wasting a lot of energy on too many preseason games. We have a couple of them, then we have to be ready to go right away.”
The Panthers will compress all four preseason games into a single week. After tonight’s home game, Florida travels to Carolina on Tuesday and Tampa Bay on Thursday before returning to Sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. against the Lightning. The team continues training camp in Fort Lauderdale through Sept. 27.
“I cannot wait to get back into a game situation,” Barkov said.
Tonight’s game airs on the Panthers/Scripps network, channel 39 in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale market, and streams free on Panthers+. The 2026-27 NHL regular season opens Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. on ESPN when Florida visits Carolina, with the home opener at Amerant Bank Arena set for Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. against the Minnesota Wild.