Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 24 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers: game preview

Puck drop27 Mar · 6:00 PM ET
VenueAmerant Bank Arena
All-time meetings126 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Philadelphia finished last season 11th in the league on 98 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 127

Across 126 completed games, Philadelphia lead the head-to-head 67-44-15.

All-time record67-44-15Philadelphia's record in the series
Meetings played126This is number 127
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Philadelphia
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
26 Nov 2025PHI 4 – FLA 2——PHI
13 Oct 2025FLA 2 – PHI 5——PHI
9 Oct 2025PHI 1 – FLA 2——FLA
13 Jan 2025FLA 3 – PHI 4——PHI
5 Dec 2024FLA 7 – PHI 5——FLA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DatePhiladelphiaFlorida
9 Oct 20250-1-0 · 0 pts25th2-0-0 · 4 pts3rd
13 Oct 20251-1-1 · 3 pts19th3-1-0 · 6 pts2nd
26 Nov 202512-7-3 · 27 pts17th12-10-1 · 25 pts22nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Oct 2025, Philadelphia were 25th in the league and Florida 3rd. By 26 Nov 2025 it was 17th and 22nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Philadelphia 168 to 149

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

Philadelphia Flyers

149 att · 60 on goal · 10 G · 16.7%
Crease16 att · 3 G
Slot58 att · 5 G
Wing45 att · 1 G
Point28 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Florida Panthers

168 att · 87 on goal · 6 G · 6.9%
Crease7 att · 1 G
Slot69 att · 2 G
Wing66 att · 3 G
Point22 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Florida 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.

PhiladelphiaFlorida
1.95xG for per game3.01
4.51xG against per game2.34
30.2%xG share56.3%
−2.8FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0
+1.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.4

This season: 4 games for Philadelphia, 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

Philadelphia

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2615.7% · 32nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2773.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 22nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 133/248
Drawn · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2715 (3.75/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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Sean Couturier40220.50
11Travis Konecny40220.50
74Owen Tippett41010.25
19Matthew Tkachuk42130.75
20Lars Eller40330.75
9Sam Bennett40330.75
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
24Nick Seeler40110.25
3Seth Jones41010.25
42Gustav Forsling31010.33
Defencemen stats

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 →

Expected starter after their game on 25 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 25 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Philadelphia crease

PHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Mar

Dan Vladar.8632 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −1.6
Joseph Woll.9292 GP · 0-0-2 · GSAx +3.2

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Mar

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2
Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Philadelphia in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 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

26 Nov 20256 · PHI 4–2 FLA
13 Oct 20257 · FLA 2–5 PHI
9 Oct 20253 · PHI 1–2 FLA
13 Jan 20257 · FLA 3–4 PHI
5 Dec 202412 · FLA 7–5 PHI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Philadelphia1.254.253.052.96
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 suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Philadelphia · injuries

Helge GransLower BodyIRReturn8 Oct
Nikita GrebenkinUpper BodyIRReturn8 Oct
Rasmus RistolainenUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct
Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov
Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
5 Oct · PHI

Reinstated C Jett Luchanko Barkey from injured reserve.

27 Sep · PHI

Agreed to terms with LW Garrett Wilson on a 1-Year contract. Loaned G Alexei Kolosov to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

25 Sep · PHI

Loaned Fs Jacob Gaucher, Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko and D Oliver Bonk to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

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

Philadelphia · 2026 draft

See all: Philadelphia · 2026 draft →
#27Maksim SokolovskiiRound 1 · LondonD
#53Brek LiskeRound 2 · EverettD
#62Martin PsohlavecRound 2 · Karlovy Vary Jr.G
#120Marek SklenickaRound 4 · SeattleG
Full draft
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
Full draft

Updated after every final