FORT LAUDERDALE – It’s time to switch from champagne back to protein shakes.
Kicking off their defense of the Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers will celebrate Opening Night with a big matchup against the Boston Bruins at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
Prior to puck drop, the team’s long-awaited championship banner will be raised.
“It’ll look pretty good,” forward Carter Verhaeghe smiled after this morning's skate at Baptist Health IcePlex. “Winning the Stanley Cup is a special accomplishment for everyone. I’m sure the fans will really enjoy it. I guess if you need a little inspiration, you can just look up there and see what we accomplished.”
A perfect launching point for another 82-game grind back to the playoffs, the Panthers know they’ll be in for an incredibly tough test against a gritty squad looking for revenge.
In each of the last two postseason, the Panthers have sent the Bruins packing.
“It’s going to be a battle out there,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “It’s always fun games against Boston – tough games, physical. I think it’s going to be a good one.”
For the Panthers, this year’s team isn’t too different from last season’s champions.
The top-eight scorers from last season are back – including Sam Reinhart (94 points), Matthew Tkachuk (88 points) and Aleksander Barkov (80 points) – as well as three of the top-four defensemen, including the top pair of Forsling and Aaron Ekblad.
That being said, there are still some new faces.
Jesper Boqvist and A.J. Greer will make their Panthers debuts up front, while Adam Boqvist (Jesper’s younger brother) will be on the blue line and quarterbacking the top power-play unit. As far as returning players trying to become regulars, second-year pro Mackie Samoskevich and defenseman Uvis Balinskis will also be in the lineup.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, will get the nod in net against the Bruins, while Chris Driedger, who is back with the Panthers after a couple of seasons with the Seattle Kraken, will serve as his backup.
Even after capturing Lord Stanley, these Cats think they can be even better.
“Every year is different,” Verhaeghe said. “We want to build something special with the new group. We have a lot of returning players, but bringing the new guys in will be awesome.”
As for the Bruins, they spent their offseason trying to build a team to take down Florida.
Getting more skilled down the middle and adding toughness to their back end, forward Elias Lindholm and defensemen Nikita Zadorov will try to give the team a shot in the arm. Zadorov, in particular, always seems to be in the middle of the action against the Cats.
This morning, Lindholm was spotted centering Boston’s top line in between Pavel Zacha and Davis Pastrnak. One of the most-lethal scorers in the NHL, Pastrnak tallied 110 points (47 goals, 63 assists) in 2023-24, but scored just once against Florida in last year’s playoffs.
Following a long contract dispute, Jeremy Swayman, who was an absolute brick wall against the Panthers in last year’s playoffs, finally put pen to paper on an eight-year extension on Sunday, but isn’t expected to start after missing all of training camp.
Joonas Korpisalo was first goalie off the ice this morning.
“Every time we play these guys, it’s always a battle,” Verhaeghe said. “It’s always a real physical game. They play really hard. It’s definitely a tough matchup to start the season, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
THEY SAID IT
“You get to a point where there’s no more celebrations of something that has happened in the past. You need that mental closure to move forward.” – Paul Maurice
“Finally, the season is starting. It doesn’t matter who we go up against, we’ve just got to do our thing. It’s going to be a lot of fun, for sure.” – Jesper Boqvist
“It’s a big thing that we accomplished last year with the banner raising. For a lot of guys, that’ll be their first time. It’s exciting and you’ve got to enjoy that, but at the same time as a group here in this locker room we just can’t wait to get going.” – Aleksander Barkov
“I’m very excited about the game. It’s finally here. I feel like it’s been a long time.” – Gustav Forsling
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers own a 15-10-1-4 record in season-opening contests.
- Carter Verhaeghe has scored four goals over his last three Home Openers.
- Sergei Bobrovsky has earned the win in four of Florida’s past five Home Openers.
- Aleksander Barkov is entering his seventh season as captain of the Panthers.
- Gustav Forsling led the NHL with a +56 plus/minus rating in 2023-24.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Mackie Samoskevich
Jonah Gadjovich – Jesper Boqvist – A.J. Greer
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Adam Boqvist
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
-- Oct. 7: F Patrick Giles and Sandis Vilmanis assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
-- Oct. 7: G Spencer Knight assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
-- Oct. 6: F Will Lockwood and D Matt Kiersted assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN, ESPN+
