The Florida Panthers opened the 2026-27 season with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, surviving a near-shootout before defenseman Gus Forsling ended it with a blistering shot from the point that beat Carolina goalie Brandon Bussi with just 4.3 seconds remaining on the clock.
Florida Hockey Now reported postgame reactions from Forsling, head coach Paul Maurice, captain Sasha Barkov, goaltender Jacob Markstrom and forward Brady Tkachuk following the shutout win, which sent the Panthers scrambling to RDU for a cross-country flight west.
The victory gives Florida the early edge in a series it has historically dominated. The Panthers lead the all-time regular season series against Carolina 25-15-1 with 7 ties. Last season, San Jose handed Florida a 2-0 defeat in the teams’ most recent meeting - a result the Panthers will look to reverse Thursday night.
Florida’s next test comes Thursday at 10 p.m. ET when the Panthers face the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. South Florida fans can watch on Scripps Sports, with local broadcasts on WSFL 39 in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, WHDT 9 in West Palm Beach, and LAFF 36.3 across Southwest Florida. The game streams on Panthers+ and ESPN+, with radio coverage on WQAM, WBZT 1230-AM in Palm Beach, WCTH 100.3-FM in the Florida Keys, and SiriusXM and the NHL App for streaming audio.
The Panthers are scheduled to host San Jose on Feb. 21 before wrapping the current road trip Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks at 8 p.m.