NHL fans will get two extra games to take in during the 2026-27 season.
The league’s jump from 82 to 84 regular season games comes from the addition of two divisional matchups per team.
With the extension of the game count, the NHL season will begin sooner with the first puck drops on Sept. 29.
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For the Florida Panthers, that means they will watch a championship banner raised to the rafters for a third straight season.
The Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions, will host the Tkachuk duo and the Panthers on Sept. 29 to kick off Carolina’s home schedule. The Hurricanes will be raising the Stanley Cup banner that afternoon (5 p.m., ESPN) against the Panthers, who won the NHL title in 2024 and 2025.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming season.
What are the games being added to the 2027 NHL season?
There are two games being added to each NHL schedule. Those will be divisional games added throughout the season. The NHL season added a few weeks, starting the games earlier, in order to account for the additions.
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Florida Panthers home opener
The Panthers are headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, to visit the Hurricanes (September 29) and then visit the San Jose Sharks (Oct. 1) for each of those teams’ home openers. The Panthers’ home opener will be against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 10 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Tickets start at $190 for the home kickoff, according to Stubhub.
What happened to Florida Panthers last season?
The 2025-26 season proved difficult for the defending Cup champs. The Panthers finished the regular season with a 40-38-4 record, placing seventh in the Atlantic Division with 84 points, and Florida missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Team USA’s star-studded roster includes brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk.
Brady Tkachuk, former Ottawa Senators captain, was traded to the Panthers to join his brother, Matthew, for the upcoming season. Brady officially traded to Florida on June 21. With the dynamic duo, the Panthers are looking to make their way back to competing for the Stanley Cup.
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2025 stats for Tkachuk brothers
Matthew Tkachuk recorded 13 goals, 21 assists, and a minus-6 plus-minus rating in 31 games for the Panthers during the 2025-26 season.
For the Senators, Brady Tkachuk has recorded 29 goals and 26 assists in 72 games last season.
Both players contributed to the U.S. Olympic hockey gold medal in the 2026 Winter Games in Milan.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Panthers, NHL expand to 84 games, open vs. Stanley Cup champs
