SUNRISE, Fla. - A largely youth-led Carolina Hurricanes squad was outgunned in its first preseason foray on Sunday, dropping a 6-3 decision to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena.
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Carolina got off on the right foot when Dominik Badinka forced a turnover from Jacob Markstrom, then chipped the puck off the back of the Cats' netminder and into the net at 6:06 of the contest. But a veteran-heavy Panthers group struck on the power play to even the score before the break, then tallied twice in the opening five minutes of the second period.
Facing a 3-1 deficit as the contest neared the midway mark, special teams brought the Canes back to life as Justin Robidas polished off some snappy passing on a 5-on-3. Just over a minute later, Robidas picked up his second point of the night with a wraparound feed to a waiting Bradly Nadeau to level the affair.
Unfortunately for Carolina, the deadlock was short-lived. Florida regained its lead 1:25 after Nadeau's equalizer, then stretched the advantage back to two in the frame's final minute.
A more physical third period followed, including a scrap between Charles Alexis Legault – who dropped the gloves twice during the Prospect Showcase earlier this month – and Brady Tkachuk. But neither side found twine again until Florida buried an empty-netter in the closing minutes.
Pyotr Kochetkov logged his first NHL minutes between the pipes since Dec. 20, 2025, making 28 saves on 33 shots on the night.
