RECAP: Blackhawks Drop Season Opener to Panthers

The Blackhawks opened the 2025-26 season with a 3-2 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Frank Nazar (1G, 1A), Teuvo Teravainen (1G, 1A) and Tyler Bertuzzi (2A) each had multi-point games, while Spencer Knight faced his former team in net, stopping 34 of 37 shots for a .919 save percentage.

QUICK HITS

• Chicago enters the 2025-26 season with the third-youngest roster in the NHL, behind only Buffalo and Montreal, with an average age of 26.49
• Frank Nazar scored the first goal of the 2025-26 season on a breakaway and finished with a multi-point night (1G, 1A), becoming the sixth Blackhawks player age 21 or younger in the past 40 years to record multiple points in a season opener
• Tyler Bertuzzi recorded two assists, giving him 11 points (7G, 4A) across eight season-opening games—the most on the current Blackhawks roster
• Spencer Knight faced his former team for the first time since joining Chicago, stopping 34 of 37 shots (.919 SV%)

THEY SAID IT

• "We've got to play every game. It doesn't matter who you're playing, we've got to focus on us. We can't just show up when we're playing cup champions. Every team's good in this league." - Spencer Knight on game outcome
• "Mistakes do happen, but it's how you recover from those mistakes and be there for your teammates to help reduce them." - Frank Nazar on mastering execution of new team systems
• "I think finding ways to minimize and not give up nearly as many chances throughout the course of a game. And we've got to step-by-step get better at that." - Head Coach Jeff Blashill on playing a complete 60 minutes

WHAT'S NEXT

The Blackhawks will continue their two-game opening road trip in Boston, facing the Bruins on Thursday, October 9 at 6 p.m. CT. Chicago will then return to the United Center to open their home schedule on Saturday, October 11, against the Montreal Canadiens.

GAME LINKS

• Game Summary
• Game Stats

POSTGAME MEDIA