SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers will open the 2026-27 NHL season with 10 of their first 13 games on the road before settling into a schedule that loads 42 home games in Sunrise, including a March 6 reunion with two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Hockey Now reported.
Bobrovsky, who spent seven seasons with the Panthers before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer, will first face his former club on Dec. 3 in Toronto. His return to Sunrise on March 6 headlines a month that features eight home games — the busiest stretch of the season for Panthers fans. Former Panther Evan Rodrigues and the New Jersey Devils visit Jacob Markstrom and the Panthers on Feb. 18.
The league-wide shift to an 84-game schedule means four matchups against each Atlantic Division opponent, and the in-state rivalry with the Tampa Bay Lightning gets prime billing. The Lightning visit Sunrise on Nov. 28 and Dec. 26, while the Panthers travel to Tampa on Feb. 16 and March 23.
Florida’s season opener is Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. against the host Carolina Hurricanes, whose Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony will be the first game of the new season on ESPN. The Panthers then travel to San Jose and play three games in California before returning east for the home opener Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. against the Minnesota Wild. Brady Tkachuk’s Ottawa Senators host the Panthers on Oct. 21 to kick off a four-game road trip.
The schedule includes 14 sets of back-to-back games, starting Oct. 12-13 in Buffalo and Columbus. Nine of those 14 back-to-backs are entirely on the road, including a Toronto-Montreal swing on March 15-16. Three are back-to-back home games, with the final two regular-season contests — against Boston and Carolina on April 9 and 10 — closing the year in Sunrise.
The Panthers’ two longest homestands of the season each span five games. The first runs Dec. 19-30, covering holiday matchups against the Flames, Blues, Lightning, Predators and Sabres. The second stretches from March 2-12. Florida will ring in the New Year on the road, playing the Predators in Nashville on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. The annual Thanksgiving Eve game is Nov. 25 against Ottawa in Sunrise, though the Panthers play Black Friday in Washington before returning home Nov. 28 to host Tampa Bay.
Home games break down to 13 Saturdays, eight Thursdays, four Fridays and two Sundays. November and December each feature seven home games. Despite the early road-heavy schedule, the Panthers finish strong with seven of their final nine games at home.
Panthers training camp opens in early-to-mid September in Fort Lauderdale, with preseason play beginning Sept. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes.