Florida Panthers’ schedule has rough patches and dates to circle for the 2026-27 season

After a season of injuries that ended without a playoff berth, let alone than a third consecutive Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers on Thursday got to see the 2026-27 schedule they must navigate to get back into contention.

In one of the most anticipated meetings of the season, Florida will face the Edmonton Oilers for a repeat of the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals matchup at home on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The Panthers will see the Oilers once more on the road on Jan. 7. The Panthers will also first face division and in-state rival Tampa Bay for the first time of the season at home Nov. 28.

The Panthers will not need to wait a long time for their biggest offseason acquisition to face his former team. Brady Tkachuk will return to Ottawa on Oct. 21 to face the Senators team that traded him away.

The Panthers won’t see a ton of long and grueling road stretches, but still have a couple in their way, kicking the season off with a four-game road stint (Sept. 29 -Oct. 6) and going on the road for five games at a time twice during the season (Jan. 5-14 and March 15-23). They will get a chance to make up for it at home with two five-game homestands as well, from Dec. 19-30 and from March 2-12.

The opening stretch or the season could be tough for Florida. Only four of the first 13 games of the season will be at home.

As announced Wednesday, Florida will open its regular season against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. The last two Stanley Cup champions, and two of the favorites for the cup this season, will clash early, looking to start their seasons off on the right foot. Florida’s home opener was also released Wednesday, and the Panthers will face the Minnesota Wild at Amerant Bank Arena on Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.

After struggling with injuries last year, due in part to consecutive long seasons from three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances, the Panthers are reloaded, and hopes are high for the season. Most notably, they will get their captain, forward Aleksander Barkov, back from his ACL/MCL injury that sidelined him all of last season.

Furthermore, Florida spent the offseason retooling as well as getting healthy, bringing in veterans and some more hard-hitters, positioning the Panthers to be one of the toughest squads in the NHL. They traded for Tkachuk, who is also the brother of Panther Matthew Tkachuk, Anaheim Ducks’ defenseman Radko Gudas and brought in Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway all before July 1, significantly adding to the team’s physicality and experience.

They also solved their biggest offseason problem, bringing in goalies Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid to fill the hole left by Sergei Bobrovsky, whose contract with Florida expired July 1. Bobrovsky will return to South Florida with the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 6.

The season comes full-circle with a regular-season finale at home on April 10 against the Carolina Panthers.

All NHL teams will deal with the new 84-game slate, a bit longer than the 82-game season that was in place for three decades.

2026-27 regular-season schedule

Sept. 29: At Carolina, 5 p.m.

Oct. 1: At San Jose, 10 p.m.

Oct. 4: At Anaheim, 8 p.m.

Oct. 6: At Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Oct. 10: vs. Wild, 6 p.m.

Oct. 12: At Buffalo, 1 p.m.

Oct. 13: At Columbus, 6:15 p.m.

Oct. 15: vs. Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Oct.17: vs. Seattle, 6 p.m.

Oct. 21: At Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 22: At Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25: At Chicago, 3 p.m.

Oct. 27: At Winnipeg, 8 p.m.

Oct. 30: vs. Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

Nov. 2: vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.

Nov. 4: vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 7: At Washington, 12:30 p.m.

Nov. 8: At Boston, 1 p.m.

Nov.10: At Columbus, 7 p.m.

Nov. 12: vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.

Nov. 14: At St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Nov.15: At Dallas, 8 p.m.

Nov. 17: vs. Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Nov. 21: vs. Buffalo, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: vs. Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Nov. 27: At Washington, 3 p.m.

Nov. 28: vs. Tampa Bay, 6 p.m.

Dec. 1: At New York Islanders, 7 p.m.

Dec. 3: At Toronto, 7 p.m.

Dec. 5: At Montreal, 1 p.m.

Dec. 8: vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

Dec. 10: vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Dec. 12: At Detroit, 7 p.m.

Dec. 14: At Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Dec. 15: At Boston, 7 p.m.

Dec. 19: vs. Calgary, 1 p.m.

Dec. 21: vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Dec. 26: vs. Tampa Bay, 6 p.m.

Dec. 28: vs. Nashville, 7 p.m.

Dec. 30: vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Jan. 1: At Nashville, 2 p.m.

Jan. 2: vs. Montreal, 4 p.m.

Jan. 5: At Calgary, 8 p.m.

Jan. 7: At Edmonton, 8 p.m.

Jan. 9: At Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Jan. 12: At Seattle, 9:40 p.m.

Jan. 14: At Minnesota, 9 p.m.

Jan. 16: vs. Vegas, 6 p.m.

Jan. 18: vs. Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Jan 21: vs. Hurricanes, 7 p.m.

Jan: 24: vs. Los Angeles, 6 p.m.

Jan: 26: At Flyers, 7 p.m.

Jan. 27: At New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: At Detroit, 7 p.m.

Feb. 1: vs. New York Islanders, 1 p.m.

Feb. 3: vs. Washington, 7 p.m.

Feb. 12: vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.

Feb. 13: vs. Dallas, 6 p.m.

Feb. 16: At Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Feb. 18: vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Feb. 20: vs. Anaheim, 5 p.m.

Feb. 21: vs. San Jose, 6 p.m.

Feb. 24: At Vegas, 9:30 p.m.

Feb. 26: At Utah, 9 p.m.

Feb. 27: At Colorado, 7 p.m.

March 2: vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

March 4: vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

March 6: vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.

March 9: vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.

March 12: vs. New York Islanders, 7 p.m.

March 15: At Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

March 16: At Montreal, 7 p.m.

March 18: At Ottawa, 7 p.m.

March 20: At Buffalo, 1 p.m.

March 23: At Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

March 25: vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m.

March 27: vs. Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

March 30: vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.

April 1: vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.

April 3: At New York Rangers, 12 p.m.

April 4: At New Jersey, 4:30 p.m.

April 6: vs. Montreal, 7 p.m.

April 9: vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

April 10: vs. Carolina, 6 p.m.