SAN JOSE– The Florida Panthers will continue their season-opening road trip with a showdown against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
“I think it's going to be a little bit more open, a little bit more ice,” defenseman Seth Jones said of facing the speedy Sharks. “They’re a very good team on the rush.”
While the Sharks will be dropping the puck for the first time this season, the Panthers kicked off their campaign with a thrilling 1-0 win in overtime at Carolina on Tuesday.
A hard-fought battle between recent Stanley Cup champions, the Panthers topped the Hurricanes thanks to a timely last-second goal from Gustav Forsling in the extra frame.
A deserved two points, the Panthers surrendered just six scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
“It was professional,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the gritty win. “They (Carolina) play such a hard game. There's not a lot of easy ice out there or open ice. There's not a lot of room for creativity. I didn't think we forced a whole bunch of stuff. Both teams will look at their power play. Execution is the place probably to finish on some plays, but the penalty kill was pretty darn good, so we were pleased with the mindset of our team.”
For more information on tonight’s game, continue below.
EYE ON THE CATS
SCHMID STARTS: After Jacob Markstom posted a 15-save shutout in Tuesday’s season opener, backup goaltender Akira Schmid will get his chance to shine in San Jose. Signed as a free agent in the summer, the 26-year-old goaltender has posted a 32-28-10 record with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage in 82 career appearances. A strong starter, Schmid owns a 5-1-0 career record in the month of October.
THE KILLERS: The backbone of their back-to-back Cups in 2024 and 2025, the Panthers picked up right where they left on the penalty kill to start this season. Going a perfect 6-for-6 against the Hurricanes – including surviving an extended 5-on-3 – the Panthers allowed just six shots on goal while shorthanded. In addition to scoring the game-winning goal, Forsling’s 5:37 shorthanded time on ice paced all Panthers skaters in the game.
PLAY THE HITS: As expected, the Panthers didn’t shy away from contact in their first game. In the win against the Hurricanes, they racked up 43 hits. Among the 15 teams that have played a game thus far, that total currently leads all NHL clubs. Fifteen different Panthers recorded at least one hit against Carolina, with Sam Bennett leading the way with seven.
FIVE KEY STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has notched 12 points (3G, 9A) in seven games vs. San Jose since joining the Panthers.
- The Panthers boast a 12-2-0 record against the Sharks since the start of the 2018-2019 campaign, leading 55-32 in goals in that span.
- Brady Tkachuk registered five hits and one shot on goal in his regular-season debut with the Panthers on Tuesday vs. the Hurricanes.
- Seth Jones saw a team-high 28:59 time on ice in Tuesday’s win at Carolina.
- Carter Verhaeghe led Florida with 28 points (11G, 17A) on the road in 2025-26.
THEY SAID IT
“That’s the great test because we're going to go from kind of a wing lock, man-to-man team to a trapping zone team. It’s a more Western Conference style. How do we apply our game to that? That's a great challenge. It's not easy to do a switch like this, but a great and valuable lesson.” – Paul Maurice on tonight’s matchup with the Sharks
“He’s unreal player already. He hasn't been in the league for a long time, but he's already one of the best. He's a complete player. He plays both in both ends and puts up a lot of points.” – Aleksander Barkov on facing Sharks star forward Macklin Celebrini
“That’s the benefit to going on the long road trip, you spend a lot of time with the guys you’ve known forever and all the new guys, too. We're having a lot of fun. That’s a big part of the NHL.” – Sam Bennett on bonding with teammates while on the road
OPPOSITION OUTLOOK
- Macklin Celebrini was named the 11th captain in Sharks history on Sept. 25. At 20 years old, he’s the youngest current captain in the NHL and youngest in San Jose’s history. Last season, the former first-overall pick finished fourth in voting for the Hart Trophy after setting the Sharks’ single-season scoring record with 115 points.
- Ivar Stenberg, the second-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is expected to make his NHL debut tonight. In the preseason, the 19-year-old forward recorded five points in three games. Stenberg was named Sweden’s Junior Player of the Year in 2025-26 after leading all SHL U-20 players in both points (33) and assists (22).
- The Sharks brought in two sizeable, experienced veterans to bolster their blue line in the offseason. Jacob Trouba was signed as a free agent, while Darnell Nurse was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. Trouba has recorded 358 points (84G, 274A) in 906 career games, while Nurse has logged 324 points (88G, 236A) in 798 career games.
- Yaroslav Askarov will get the opening-night start for the Sharks. Last season, the 24-year-old goaltender became the first Shark to record 20 or more wins in a season since Martin Jones in 2018-19, finishing with a record of 21-20-4 in 47 contests.
PROJECTED ROSTER
Forwards
Brady Tkachuk – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
Boko Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Akira Schmid
Jacob Markstrom
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Sept. 28: F Nathan Bastian, F John Beecher, F Sam Lafferty, D Alexander Petrovic, F Cole Reinhardt, F Cole Schwindt, F Kai Schwindt and D Donovan Sebrango assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Sept. 27: F Nathan Bastian signed to one-year contract | D Marek Alscher, G Cooper Black, D Tobias Bjornfot, F Angus Crookshank, F Jack Devine, D Casey Fitzgerald, D Mikulas Hovorka, F Gracyn Sawchyn, D Matvei Shuravin and F Hunter St. Martin assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Sept. 26: D Ludvig Jansson, D Emil Pieniniemi, G Kirill Gerasimyuk and G Tyler Muszelik assigned to AHL Charlotte | F William Bitten, F, Karsen Dorwart, F Riese Gaber, F Robert Mastrosimone, F Liam McLinskey and F Nathan Smith released from PTO and assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday Oct. 1 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: SAP Center – San Jose, CA
TV & Streaming: WSFL-TV, WHDT-TV, Panthers Plus
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM / 560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); TBD (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH-FM (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR-FM (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Find a Place to Watch: Cats on Tap
Special Offer: Stream tonight’s game from home or on the go with Panthers Plus! Right now, fans can enjoy the streaming service for one week free of charge. To register now, click HERE or search for “Panthers Plus” on iOS or Android.
