Fresh off a gritty shutout win, Florida faces Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks as they continue a grueling travel schedule through the Western Conference.
After traveling across the country this week, the Florida Panthers are set to take the ice for their second game of the season.
Fresh off an exciting 1-0 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida is in northern California looking to ruin their second home opener of the week when they face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.
It’s a good thing the Panthers are a team that likes being on the road, because they’re going to log plenty of miles over the first few weeks of the season.
Only three of Florida’s first 13 games take place at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
The Panthers will also get a good test when they face the young and hungry Sharks.
San Jose missed the playoffs by only four points last season and are poised to break back into the big dance this year, led by their young superstar captain Macklin Celebrini.
The Sharks will provide a much different challenge for Florida than what they faced on Tuesday in Carolina.
Speaking after the Panthers practiced at the Sharks’ facility on Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice discussed what he’s aiming to accomplish in terms of preparation.
“That’s the great test, because we’re going to go from a wing lock, man-to-man team to a trapping zone team, so it’s more Western Conference style,” Maurice said. “And then how do we apply our game to that, that’s a great challenge. It’s not easy to do, to switch like this, but it’s a great and valuable lesson. (San Jose has) lots of speed, an awful lot of skill, and I really like the additions to made to the weight of their team, so it’ll be a good one tomorrow.”
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s swim with the Sharks:
Brady Tkachuk – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
Boko Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas
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Photo caption: Nov 8, 2025; San Jose, California, USA;FloridaPantherscenter Carter Verhaeghe (23) shoots against the San JoseSharksduring the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. (Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
