RALEIGH, NC – The Florida Panthers will get their first taste of the road for the 2026-27 season when they head to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Lenovo Center at 7 p.m. ET.
Their second of four preseason games, the Panthers defeated the Hurricanes 6-3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday.
Making his preseason debut with the Panthers, offseason acquisition Brady Tkachuk recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick and three hits in the win.
“He’s a great player,” captain Aleksander Barkov said of his new linemate. “You guys know already from what he did in Ottawa, but I feel like he’s been so excited to be here, and he’s just working really hard every single day at the camp, and before the camp. I just feel like he’s only going to get better.”
For more information on tonight’s game, continue below.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Mr. September: An impressing showing on Sunday, Niko Mikkola recorded three points (1G, 2A) in 19:51 minutes of ice time. The 6-foot-6 blueliner tallied 11 points (3G, 8A) in last year’s campaign and has 73 points (17G, 56A) in 396 career games.
Fourth Line: Bokondji Imama will make his preseason debut with the Panthers on Tuesday. Imama notched 11 points (6G, 5A) in 66 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) last year. On the same line, Reinhardt will look to build off his two-goal game on Sunday. The two are expected to wing Cole Schwindt who will be centering the line.
Power Play: Just getting warmed up. The new look power play cashed in during the first period, after Brady Tkachuk put in a feed from Matthew Tkachuk and Barkov. With weapons all around, the first unit power play also featured Sam Reinhart and Seth Jones.
FIVE KEY STATS
1. Brady Tkachuk had a team-high seven shots against the Hurricanes.
2. Anton Lundell led forwards with 18:41 TOI against the Hurricanes.
3. Bokondji Imama had 137 PIMS with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) last season.
4. Akira Schmid was between the pipes for 34 games with the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2026-27 season.
5. Cole Reinhardt has scored in five straight games he’s played in going back to the 2025-26 season.
THEY SAID IT
“It was good to play a game, good to play hockey. It's been a while, and just get the mind and legs moving, so it was fun.” – Niko Mikkola on first preseason game
“He's Sasha, and he's a different kind of a player. He gets himself back probably quicker than any of us, and it's awesome to see him happy, see him smile sometimes, and just enjoy playing hockey right now.” – Anton Lundell on Aleksander Barkov playing again
“He's a powerful skater and a heavy forechecker. That is what we look for on that line to kind of define our style of play.” – Paul Maurice on Bokondji Imama
OPPOSITION NOTES
- Pierre-Olive Joseph is expected to make his preseason debut tonight. The offseason addition registered six points (1G, 5A) on the blue line for the Vancouver Canucks last season.
- Filip Ekberg is also expected to make his debut, as the Hurricanes plan to roll out much of the same roster as Sunday night.
- Brandon Bussi and Cayden Primeau will be between the pipes for Carolina. Bussi owned a 31-6-2 record last season with the Hurricanes, while Primeau appeared in 39 regular season games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
- For more information on Carolina’s roster, click HERE.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards
Brady Tkachuk – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
Cole Reinhardt – Cole Schwindt – Bokondji Imama
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Jacob Markstrom
Akira Schmid
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: N/A
EXTRA INFO
- Fans within the Panthers’ broadcast territory can stream tonight’s game for free by making an account at PanthersPlus.tv.
- There will be a combined 50/50 Raffle for both of Florida’s preseason games. The winner will be selected on Sept. 26. To purchase tickets, click HERE.
- Download the "Panthers GameDay App" on iOS or Android for all of your ticketing and game-experience needs. Visit FloridaPanthers.com/App to download.
