After putting fans through a rollercoaster of emotions during an 8-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks in their last outing on Monday, the defending Stanley Cup champions came out on top in a hard-fought 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday. Improving to 11-8-1, the Panthers have won four of their last five games.

The 2026 NHL Winter Classic between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers is poised to be a fantastic event for the sport. Set for January 2 at Miami’s loanDepot Park, it marks the first outdoor NHL game ever played in Florida.

Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek have yet to return from offseason surgery. Captain Aleksander Barkov had ACL surgery after being hurt during a training camp practice. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had surgery for an upper-body injury last month and is out five months.