A look at the 2025-26 schedule for the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
There’s no rest for the weary — or in this case, the Florida Panthers.
The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions released their 2025-26 season schedule on Wednesday in connection with the entire National Hockey League.
After raising their second championship banner at Amerant Bank Arena before puck drop, the Cats season will open versus the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The fun will continue in Sunrise for two more home matchups versus the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, Oct. 9 and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Oct. 11.
After that, the champs will leave the sunshine state for a five-game away stint to Philadelphia, Detroit, New Jersey, Buffalo and Boston.
For fans wanting deja vu of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Panthers will take on the Edmonton Oilers twice during the regular season— once at home on Nov. 22 and once in Canada on March 19.
Another notable game for the Panthers this season will take place in the 305, not at Amerant Bank. The Cats’ 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic will take place at loanDepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins, on Jan. 2 in a matchup versus the New York Rangers.
The faceoff will be the southernmost outdoor game in NHL history.
Other notable games for the champs include their matchup versus the Boston Bruins on Oct. 21, when Brad Marchand will return to TD Garden for the second time since joining the Cats last March. This will be Marchand’s first full season with the Panthers after signing a six-year, annual $5.25 million cap hit contract.
The team will also play cross-state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning four times during the season, hosting them for the first matchup on Nov. 15. After losing to the Panthers in the first round of the 2024-25 postseason, the Lightning will be sure to put up a good fight as they look for vengeance. They’ve also beefed up their roster in the off-season, signing Yanni Gourde and Gage Goncalves to contract extensions.
However, fans will also be able to get a break from the packed Panthers schedule during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Four Cats have already been named to their teams preliminary rosters: Aleksander Barkov (Finland), Uvis Balinskis (Latvia), Sam Reinhart (Canada) and Matthew Tkachuk (United States of America). Because of this, the team will take a break for the majority of February, 20 consecutive days to be exact.
For fans away from home, the Panthers’ schedule includes seven separate road trips of at least four games. January and March will be the most travel-heavy months for the team with 10 away games each.
And for fans at home, the Cats will of course spend a considerable amount of time in Sunrise. In December especially, 10 of the team’s 15 games will take place at Amerant. The Panthers longest homestead will take place in a six-game stretch from Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving eve) to Dec. 7 versus the Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders.
FULL SCHEDULE
PRESEASON
SEPTEMBER
21: at Nashville (split squad), 3
21: at Nashville (split squad), 7
24: at Carolina, 6
29: Carolina, 6
30: Tampa Bay, at Orlando, 7
OCTOBER
2: at Tampa Bay, 7
4: Tampa Bay, 7
REGULAR SEASON
OCTOBER
7: Chicago, 5
9: Philadelphia, 7
11: Ottawa, 7
13: at Philadelphia, 7
15: at Detroit, 7
16: at New Jersey, 7
18: at Buffalo, 1
21: at Boston, 7:30
23: Pittsburgh, 7
25: Vegas, 6
28: Anaheim, 7
NOVEMBER
1: Dallas, 6
4: at Anaheim, 10
6: at Los Angeles, 10:30
8: at San Jose, 10
10: at Vegas, 10
13: Washington, 7
15: Tampa Bay, 6
17: Vancouver, 7
20: New Jersey, 7
22: Edmonton, 7
24: at Nashville, 8
26: Philadelphia, 7
28: Calgary, 4
DECEMBER
2: Toronto, 7
4: Nashville, 7
6: Columbus, 3:30
7: N.Y. Islanders, 5
10: at Utah, 10
11: at Colorado, 9
13: at Dallas, 8
15: at Tampa Bay, 7
17: Los Angeles, 7
19: Carolina, 7
20: St. Louis, 6
23: at Carolina, 7
27: Tampa Bay, 7
29: Washington, 7
30: Montreal, 7
JANUARY
2: N.Y. Rangers, at loanDepot Park, Miami, 8
4: Colorado, 5
6: at Toronto, 7:30
8: at Montreal, 7
10: at Ottawa, 7
12: at Buffalo, 7
16: at Carolina, 7
17: at Washington, 7
19: San Jose, 7
22: at Winnipeg, 8
24: at Minnesota, 9
25: at Chicago, 7
27: Utah, 7
29: at St. Louis, 8
31: Winnipeg, 4
FEBRUARY
2: Buffalo, 7
4: Boston, 7
5: at Tampa Bay, 7
26: Toronto, 7
27: Buffalo, 7
MARCH
1: at N.Y. Islanders, 4
3: at New Jersey, 7
5: at Columbus, 7
6: at Detroit, 7
10: Detroit, 7
12: Columbus, 7
15: at Seattle, 8
17: at Vancouver, 10
19: at Edmonton, 9
20: at Calgary, 9
24: Seattle, 7
26: Minnesota, 7
28: at N.Y. Islanders, 1
29: at N.Y. Rangers, 1
31: Ottawa, 7
APRIL
2: Boston, 7
4: at Pittsburgh, 5
5: at Pittsburgh, 3
7: at Montreal, 7
9: at Ottawa, 7
11: at Toronto, 7
13: N.Y. Rangers, 7
15: Detroit, 7
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 4:13 PM.