Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers: game preview

VegasGolden Knights2026-27: 3-1-0 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 39-26-17 · 95 pts · 13that

FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25th

Puck drop16 Jan · 6:00 PM ET

VenueAmerant Bank Arena

All-time meetings21 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eleven points apart last season

Vegas finished last season 13th in the league on 95 points. Florida finished 25th on 84.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 22

Across 21 completed games, Vegas lead the head-to-head 11-7-3.

All-time record11-7-3Vegas's record in the series

Meetings played21This is number 22

2025-26 series—

Last 54-1Florida

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

10 Nov 2025FLA 3 – VGK 2——FLA

25 Oct 2025VGK 0 – FLA 3——FLA

26 Jan 2025FLA 1 – VGK 4——VGK

19 Oct 2024VGK 3 – FLA 4 OT——FLA

4 Jan 2024FLA 4 – VGK 1——FLA

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVegasFlorida

25 Oct 20255-1-2 · 12 pts7th5-5-0 · 10 pts14th

10 Nov 20257-4-4 · 18 pts13th8-7-1 · 17 pts22nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 25 Oct 2025, Vegas were 7th in the league and Florida 14th. By 10 Nov 2025 it was 13th and 22nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Vegas 122 to 107

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Vegas Golden Knights

107 att · 49 on goal · 2 G · 4.1%

Crease5 att · 0 G

Slot33 att · 1 G

Wing35 att · 1 G

Point27 att · 0 G

Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Florida Panthers

122 att · 46 on goal · 6 G · 13.0%

Crease14 att · 2 G

Slot49 att · 3 G

Wing38 att · 0 G

Point17 att · 1 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

VegasFlorida

3.79xG for per game3.01

2.09xG against per game2.34

64.4%xG share56.3%

+1.8FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

−1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.4

This season: 4 games for Vegas, 4 for Florida. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Vegas

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2731.3%

Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230

Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Florida

Small sample

Power play · 2026-274.3%

Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229

Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Vegas

Expected starter after their game on 14 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida

Expected starter after their game on 14 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1

Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2

Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

10 Nov 20255 · FLA 3–2 VGK

25 Oct 20253 · VGK 0–3 FLA

26 Jan 20255 · FLA 1–4 VGK

19 Oct 20247 · VGK 3–4 FLA

4 Jan 20245 · FLA 4–1 VGK

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Vegas4.252.503.233.05

Florida2.002.003.063.37

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct

Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct

Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov

Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct

MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

Injury report

Vegas · 2026 draft

See all: Vegas · 2026 draft →

#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD

#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·

#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC

#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD

Full draft

Florida · 2026 draft

See all: Florida · 2026 draft →

#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW

#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC

#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD

#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW

Full draft

Saturday 16 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 16 January · the full slate →

FLAThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers: game preview

Eleven points apart last season

Meeting number 22

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Florida out-attempted Vegas 122 to 107

Vegas Golden Knights

Florida Panthers

Vegas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Vegas

Florida

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Vegas crease

Florida crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

8 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

Florida · injuries

Latest moves

Vegas · 2026 draft

Florida · 2026 draft

Saturday 16 January · the full slate