5 Most Interesting Florida Panthers Matchups This Season

The Florida Panthers are healthy and reloaded. Now that the full 84-game regular season schedule has been released, we can properly prognosticate the most exciting games on the calendar.

Toronto Maple Leafs (March 6)

Of all the departures from Florida’s Cup runs, there may be no emotional hole bigger than the one left by Sergei Bobrovsky. The 37-year-old goaltender signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer for three years and $21 million.

Originally signed for a then-franchise record of $70 million over seven years in 2019, Bobrovsky’s time in Sunrise was not always sunshine and rainbows. The two-time Vezina winner was benched multiple times over his first four seasons, including the beginning of their 2023 postseason run that culminated in an Eastern Conference championship.

His redemption arc was stronger than the initial disappointment in his tenure. He was a key piece in the Panthers winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, allowing less than 2.50 goals per game for the first time since 2017-18 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As the only core player from either Stanley Cup victory to leave the Panthers, this will perhaps be the most highly-anticipated reunion in franchise history.

Ottawa Senators (Oct. 21)

It feels like games between the Senators and Panthers always devolve into chaos. Most notably, head referee Garrett Rank called a 10-minute misconduct on every player on the ice during a matchup in 2023. That game ended with 167 combined penalty minutes. The two sides played a game with 166 combined penalty minutes the prior season, too, which was a season-high for the NHL.

Now, there is sure to be added animosity with the Panthers poaching Ottawa’s long-time captain Brady Tkachuk. The Senators traded the 26-year-old winger to Florida for two 2026 first-round picks, a conditional 2029 first-rounder, and a 2027 second-round pick.

Carolina Hurricanes (Sept. 29)

In two of Florida’s three appearances in the Cup Final, they had to get through Carolina. When the Panthers were notable absentees in last year’s postseason, the Hurricanes ran through the Eastern Conference and defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

These two squads have been the Eastern Conference favorites for four years, and it feels like it will be the case this year, as well. This opening night matchup will be a fun measuring stick game.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Nov. 28)

You can probably add this game to any of these lists for the past several years. Even with an uncompetitive Panthers team last year, the season series was heated and violent. Their most recent clash in February produced a staggering 167 combined penalty minutes. Even the preseason opener the year before descended into fights and line brawls.

Now, with all of Florida's heavy hitters back, and a far more competitive record likely to follow, this rivalry seems primed to return to its boiling point.

Dallas Stars (Nov. 15)

For a few years, it has felt like the Stars and the Panthers have just missed each other in the Final. Dallas made it to the Western Conference Final all three years the Panthers made the Stanley Cup. The Stars are primed again to be one of the West’s best teams, so it will be fun to measure up against them.

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