Goalie Start
Bobrovsky will start vs. Ottawa on Saturday.
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Florida Panthers News
Line Change
Balinskis will make his season debut on Saturday vs. Ottawa.
Kulikov (undisclosed) has been placed on IR.
Kulikov (undisclosed) left Thursday's game and is without an update.
Kulikov was limited to only 7:47 time-on-ice before exiting Thursday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. His status is uncertain for Saturday's contest against the Ottawa Senators.
Goalie Start
Bobrovsky will start vs. Philadelphia on Thursday.
Bobrovsky was solid in Florida's season-opening 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, saving 17 of 19 shots (.895 SV%), and will return to the crease on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2024-25, Bobrovsky appeared in 54 games for the Panthers (33-19-2), posting a 2.44 GAA, .905 SV%, and five shutouts. The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as -207 home favorites against a Flyers team that finished last season with the 10th-fewest goals per game (2.9 GF/GP).
Goalie Start
Bobrovsky was the first goalie off the ice at Florida's morning skate.
Bobrovsky was solid in Florida's season-opening 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, saving 17 of 19 shots (.895 SV%), and will likely return to the crease on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2024-25, Bobrovsky appeared in 54 games for the Panthers (33-19-2), posting a 2.44 GAA, .905 SV%, and five shutouts. The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as -207 home favorites against a Flyers team that finished last season with the 10th-fewest goals per game (2.9 GF/GP).
Reinhart (upper-body) is fine after missing Wednesday's practice.
Reinhart was absent from practice on Wednesday after receiving stitches, but the injury does not seem overly concerning, as he was able to complete Tuesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Reinhart was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday but will be relied upon heavily for offence in Florida this season. He had 81 points (39G / 42A) in 79 games last season.
Reinhart took a puck high on Tuesday and is not participating in the Panthers' practice on Wednesday.
Reinhart was absent from practice on Wednesday after receiving stitches, but the injury does not seem overly concerning, as he was able to complete Tuesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Reinhart was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday but will be relied upon heavily for offence in Florida this season. He had 81 points (39G / 42A) in 79 games last season.
Goalie Start
Bobrovsky will start Florida's opener vs. Chicago on Tuesday.
Fresh off consecutive Stanley Cup championships, the Panthers will turn to Bobrovsky in their season opener on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky played well last season, posting a 2.44 GAA and .905 SV% in 54 appearances (33-19-2). With the Panthers facing several key long-term injuries in their forward group, they will need to rely on Bobrovsky to shut down the opposition's offense this season. The Panthers enter Tuesday's matchup as -266 home favorites against the Blackhawks.
Florida has signed Noah Gregor to a one-year, two-way contract.
Gregor joined the Panthers during training camp on a PTO that has materialized into a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old Gregor split time last season between the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks, playing a total of 52 games and scoring seven points (4G / 3A).
Lundell (upper-body) is "good to go" for the season opener.
Lundell suffered an upper-body injury in the Panthers' preseason game last Thursday, but will be in the lineup for the opener vs. Chicago. Lundell is poised for a breakout season as he tries to help fill the shoes of Aleksander Barkov, who is expected to miss the entire season. Lundell will open the season on a line with Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart and PP2.
Ekblad (undisclosed) is "good to go" for the Panthers' season opener.
Ekblad was hurt in Saturday's preseason finale, but head coach Paul Maurice said that he'll be in the lineup on opening night vs. Chicago. Ekblad will open the season on the top pair with Gustav Forsling and the top power-play unit in a two-defensemen look alongside Seth Jones.
Waiver Move
Florida has claimed Cole Schwindt from Vegas off waivers.
With several lingering and long-term injuries, the Panthers added some offensive depth by claiming Cole Schwindt off of waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old Schwindt played a career-high 42 games and scored eight points (1G / 7A) with the Golden Knights last season.
Lundell is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Panthers, already battling several key injuries, received promising news on Friday, announcing that Lundell is day-to-day and his upper-body injury will not keep him out of the lineup long-term. With Aleksander Barkov (knee) out for most, if not all of the season, Lundell is slated for an increased role and uptick in ice time in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old Lundell had a career-high 45 points (17G / 28A) in 79 games last season.
Lundell (upper-body) left Thursday’s preseason game and will be reevaluated on Friday.
The Panthers can ill-afford any more injuries and will hope that Lundell is no worse for wear after being reevaluated on Friday. With Aleksander Barkov (knee) out for the long term, Lundell is slated for an increased role and uptick in ice time in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old Lundell had a career-high 45 points (17G / 28A) in 79 games last season.
The Panthers have signed Niko Mikkola to an eight-year extension worth $5.0M AAV ($40M total).
The Panthers have orchestrated another long-term extension to a member of their core, inking Mikkola to an additional eight-years worth $40 million total ($5M AAV). The 29-year-old Mikkola played a career-high 20:12 time-on-ice last season and scored 22 points (6G / 16A) in 76 games.
Barkov underwent surgery to repair ACL and MCL injuries and will miss 7-to-9 months.
Barkov suffered injuries to his ACL and MCL in Thursday's practice and underwent surgery on Friday. According to the team, the expected recovery timeline for these injuries is 7-to-9 months, meaning he will be sidelined until at least late April. In other words, Barkov is expected to miss the entire regular season and won't be ready until Round 1 of the playoffs, at the earliest.
Barkov is undergoing right knee surgery and will be out indefinitely.
Already without Matthew Tkachuk for the first few months of the season, the Panthers suffered another significant loss on Friday with the announcement that Barkov's entire season could be in jeopardy. The 30-year-old Barkov has averaged over a point per game in each of his last five seasons, including 71 points (20G / 51A) in 2024-25.
Barkov left Thursday’s practice with a lower-body injury and will undergo further evaluation.
Barkov left Florida's practice on Thursday with an apparent leg injury and is being further evaluated by the Panthers' training staff. Head Coach Paul Maurice stated that the team should have news on the team's captain by Friday. The 30-year-old is entering his 13th NHL season after finishing 2024-25 above a point-per-game for the 5th straight year with 20 goals and 71 points in 67 games.
Nosek (knee) suffered a significant injury while training and is expected to be out long-term.
Bill Zito surprised Panthers' fans on Wednesday when he announced 33-year-old Tomas Nosek would be out long-term to start the 2025-26 season after suffering a significant knee injury while training during the offseason. Nosek is entering his 11th NHL season after winning his first Stanley Cup with Florida last season in a complementary role, which saw him put up a goal and nine points in 59 games played.
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