Back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers started the 2025-26 NHL season with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
The eventful game started with a brief ceremony to celebrate the Panthers’ Stanley Cup triumph against the Edmonton Oilers back in June, with a championship banner hoisted to the rafters of the Amerant Bank Arena – similar to last year’s, but the only change was the year, 2025 instead of 2024.
The Panthers found themselves behind after Frank Nazar’s first goal for Chicago but A.J. Greer and Carter Verhaeghe overturned the deficit in the first period.
Jesper Boqvist scored the crucial go-ahead goal in the third period as the reigning champions romped to victory.
Former Panthers goalkeeper Spencer Knight was in action for the Blackhawks with 34 saves under his belt as coach Jeff Blashill made a losing debut at the helm of his new team.
Next up for the Panthers, is another home against the Philadephia Flyers on Friday followed by a date with the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, October 12.
Meanwhile, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is still expected to miss several months this entire season with two torn ligaments in his knee, while forward Matthew Tkachuk is out until the end of the year while recovering from offseason surgery.
