A new season for the Florida Panthers is off and running. Florida raised their 2025 Stanley Cup Champions banner before hosting the Chicago Blackhawks on Opening Night Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena. Overall, it was a strong performance for the Cats, skating to a 3-2 victory over Chicago and starting their title defense off on the right foot. Let’s get to the first takeaways of the new season: STRONG START FOR PK Florida allowed the Blackhawks three power play opportunities over the final two periods, all while the game was tied at two goals apiece. They all could have been crucial moments in the game for the visitors, but Florida held strong, blocking shot after shot and keeping Sergei Bobrovsky’s crease relatively clean. He only needed to make two saves on those three power plays, and less than two minutes after they killed off the third penalty, Jesper Boqvist scored the game-winning goal. “Yeah, really nice,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of Florida’s PK. “Bob stood tall, we found a way to make their break ins hard, couple really good blocked shots, some good sticks. So yeah, that's the foundation of the PK.” A BANNER NIGHT It’s really something when looking up into the rafters at Amerant Bank Arena these days. Four Eastern Conference Championship banners. Four division championship banners. A Presidents’ Trophy banner. And now, not one but two Stanley Cup Championship banners. “It's a great opportunity to enjoy it last one last time, and kind of turn the page,” said Panthers forward Brad Marchand. “The second that puck drops, it's a whole new season, a new opportunity, new challenges. We’ve already had to face some adversity this year, and it's a great opportunity to come together. It’s a pretty special feeling, being able to watch it go up, knowing that's going to be up there forever.” STRONG KNIGHT FOR SPENCER The return of former Panthers first round pick Spencer Knight was a strong one for the young goaltender. Florida kept the pressure on their ex-teammate for much of the game, but Knight stood tall. He finished with 34 saves, including 12 of the high danger variety, looking very much like the future franchise goaltender that the Panthers viewed him as during his tenure in South Florida. “His strength is lateral (movement), and he was outstanding with that,” said Maurice. “We had some really high end looks and some pretty good shooters in there, so those are legit saves that he made, and that's the value to a young team in Chicago. Chances for and against tonight, it wasn't particularly close, but he did what he needed to do to give his team a chance to win.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA The Hockey Show: Postgame reaction to Panthers picking up Opening Night win over Chicago [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/the-hockey-show-postgame-reaction-to-panthers-picking-up-opening-night-win-over-chicago] Panthers open season with victory over Chicago after raising Stanley Cup banner [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-open-season-with-victory-over-chicago-after-raising-stanley-cup-banner] Florida Panthers play tribute videos for former goaltender, popular superfan who passed away [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-play-tribute-videos-for-former-goaltender-popular-superfan-who-passed-away] Panthers raise 2025 Stanley Cup Champions banner on Opening Night [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-raise-2025-stanley-cup-champions-banner-on-opening-night] Florida Panthers release official Opening Night roster, Barkov, Tkachuk, Nosek placed on LTIR [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-release-official-opening-night-roster-barkov-tkachuk-nosek-placed-on-ltir] Photo caption: Oct 7, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Sam Lafferty (24) moves the puck against Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
