Florida are 2-0-2 after 4 games of 2026-27, 1st in the Atlantic. Last season they finished 25th in the league with 84 points.

2026-27 · The season

1st in the Atlantic after 4 games

League rank after every game of 2026-27, drawn against last season's month-end ranks. With fewer than ten games played, the order still moves a lot from night to night.

League rank through the season

See all: League rank through the season →
1st8th16th24th32ndGP 1GP 21GP 42GP 63GP 84
2026-272025-26 month ends

2026-27 · 4th in the league · 2-0-2 · 6 pts

Standings
Record2-0-24 games · 2025-26 40-38-4
Last ten2-0-2Current streak W1
Goals for / game2.002025-26: 3.06
Goals against / game2.009th fewest in the NHL
vs MinnesotaFLA 1-1-02025-26 season series
Peak2ndAfter 1 Oct

Calculations · 2026-27

Ahead of their goal difference

Three views derived from the 2026-27 results. Small sample: every split here rests on fewer than ten games.

Actual6
Goal difference worth4.5
Difference+1.5
Actual6
GD worth4.5

Points the goal difference is worth = GF^1.8 ÷ (GF^1.8 + GA^1.8) × 2 × GP × 1.115, the league's points a game, from 8 goals for and 8 against in 4 games. Last season: 84 points against 83.6. Expected points from shot quality (xG) are in the Shots section.

Method

Close games

One-goal games2-0-2.750
Overtime1-0-2.667
Shootout—
Scored first1-0-01.000
Trailed after two0-0-2.500
Led after two—

Splits

Home—
Road2-0-2.750
Back-to-backs—
Two or more days rest2-0-2.750
vs 2025-26 playoff teams2-0-1.833
vs non-playoff teams0-0-1.500

Schedule and results

Three home, three away next

DateOpponentOpp 2025-26Opp 25-26Difficulty
10 OctvsMinnesota Wild104 pts · 7th12 Oct@Buffalo Sabres109 pts · 4th13 Oct@Columbus Blue Jackets92 pts · 17th15 OctvsVancouver Canucks58 pts · 32nd17 OctvsSeattle Kraken79 pts · 27th21 Oct@Ottawa Senators99 pts · 9th

Difficulty is how often the opponent would beat an average team, from shot quality (our season model, which leans on last season early on). Red is the top quarter of the league, green the bottom quarter. Hover a bar for the numbers.

Next six: these opponents would beat an average team 49.6% of the time. 3 of the six made the 2025-26 playoffs.

Full schedule

Roster and skaters

Lars Eller leads with 3 points in 4 games

2026-27 scoring, with last season's line for every player on the roster. Status tags come from the league-wide injury report.

#PlayerPosGPGAPSOGSH%TOI
19Matthew TkachukL4213728.6%21:40
20Lars EllerC403350.0%12:45
9Sam BennettC403370.0%20:20
27Eetu LuostarinenC4202633.3%15:35
23Carter VerhaegheC4112616.7%18:25
63Brad MarchandL2101520.0%11:23
42Gustav ForslingD3101425.0%21:29
3Seth JonesD4101911.1%27:43
5Aaron EkbladD20110—20:55
7Dmitry KulikovD401110.0%16:22
15Anton LundellC4011100.0%19:00
16Aleksander BarkovC200020.0%14:54
26Uvis BalinskisD300020.0%13:55
6Radko GudasD400020.0%13:03
21Garnet HathawayR400010.0%8:16
13Sam ReinhartC4000100.0%21:58
14Bokondji ImamaL400010.0%6:21
77Niko MikkolaD400080.0%20:40
8Brady TkachukL4000110.0%17:21
95Sandis VilmanisL400070.0%12:17
Full roster
OUT3 OctPlaced C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).
OUT3 OctPlaced C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.
OUT27 SepPlaced 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.
OUT26 SepWaived LW Angus Crookshank, Ds Tobias Bjornfot and Casey Fitzgerald.
MOVE20 SepAgreed to terms with C/LW Samu Salminen on a 2-year, $1.96M contract.
IN24 JulSigned G Akira Schmid to a two-year contract.
IN21 JulSigned D Mikulas Hovorka to a one-year contract.
IN30 Jun 2026Acquired G Jacob Markstrom and F Angus Crookshank from New Jersey Devils for Fs Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves.
All moves
#PlayerPosAgeCap hitExpires2025-26 (team)Status
9Sam BennettC30$8M2033 UFA76 GP · 58 P
19Matthew TkachukLW28$9.5M2030 UFA31 GP · 34 P
20Lars EllerC37$850K2027 UFA68 GP · 15 P · OTT
23Carter VerhaegheC31$7M2033 UFA77 GP · 55 P
27Eetu LuostarinenC28$5M2035 UFA73 GP · 33 P
63Brad MarchandLW38$5.25M2031 UFA52 GP · 54 PDay-to-day
15Anton LundellC25$5M2030 UFA64 GP · 44 P
13Sam ReinhartC30$8.63M2032 UFA64 GP · 61 P
8Brady TkachukLW27$8.21M2028 UFA60 GP · 59 P · OTT
95Sandis VilmanisLW22$930K2027 RFA19 GP · 5 P
21Garnet HathawayRW34$2.4M2027 UFA66 GP · 3 P · PHI
12Jonah GadjovichLW27$905K2028 UFA10 GP · 3 PIR
14Bokondji ImamaLW30$850K2027 UFA2 GP · 0 P · PIT
16Aleksander BarkovC31$10M2030 UFANo NHL gamesIR
Full roster

Salary cap · 2026-27

Projected cap hit $104.87M against a $104M ceiling

Projected cap hit$104.87M100.8% of the ceiling
Cap space−$871KProjected above the ceiling, before any injured-reserve relief
Biggest cap hit$10MAleksander Barkov
Contracts on file23 of 23Roster players with a contract record

Cap hit against the ceiling

Ceiling $104M
Forwards $73.3MDefence $29.9MGoalies $8M

Share of the $104M ceiling

3Seth Jones$9.5M9.1%
19Matthew Tkachuk$9.5M9.1%
13Sam Reinhart$8.63M8.3%
8Brady Tkachuk$8.21M8.0%
Cap space, every team

Out of contract in summer 2027

See all: Out of contract in summer 2027 →

5 players · $5.81M of cap hit coming off the books

21Garnet Hathaway$2.4MUFA
95Sandis Vilmanis$930KRFA
20Lars Eller$850KUFA
14Bokondji Imama$850KUFA
2027 free agents

As of 1 Oct 2026. Cap hit is the average annual charge against the cap, not a yearly salary. The team figure is a projection that can include players off the roster; space below zero is before long-term injured reserve and other relief, which this data does not include.


Lineup · last game

Who dressed at Los Angeles on 6 Oct

Every player who dressed, ordered by ice time. The league publishes who played, not the line combinations, so this is depth by minutes rather than lines.

The same 20 players who dressed on 4 Oct.

Forwards · by ice time

Defence · by ice time

Goalies · by ice time

25Jacob MarkstromGStarted · Win · 19/2060:00
40Akira SchmidGBackup, did not play—

Did not dress

On the roster but not in the lineup: injured players carry the report’s status, the rest were scratched or are away from the team.


Special teams · 2026-27

A 27th power play and a 16th penalty kill

Small sample after 4 games. Last season: power play 19.5%, penalty kill 81.0%.

2026-27

Power play4.3% · 27th
Penalty kill78.9% · 16th

Dashed line: league average. Scale 0–100%.

PP opportunities235.75 per game
PP goals113% of all goals
Times shorthanded194.75 per game
Net special teams−31 PPG for, 4 against

Shot profile · 2026-27

Florida attempt more from the slot than anywhere else

Every Florida attempt in 2026-27, attacking right (4 games). Crease: within 8 ft of the goal. Slot: inside the faceoff dots below the circles. Point: the top 20 ft of the zone.

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked
xG for / game3.0115th
xG against / game2.345th
xG share56.3%8th
Finishing (GF − xGF)−4.029th
Goaltending (xGA − GA)+1.412th

2026-27 · 4 games with located shots. Ranks are league-wide (1st = best). Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring from that spot, shot type and strength (our model, trained on 2025-26). Above zero on finishing or goaltending means better than the chances.

Team xG table

By zone

258 att · 105 on goal · 8 G

Crease14 att · 2 G
Slot104 att · 4 G
Wing93 att · 1 G
Point39 att · 1 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

By shot type

Other81
Wrist78
Snap48
Tip in19
Backhand15
Slap15
Bat2

2026-27 · Speed and territory

Florida Panthers rank 28th for 22+ mph bursts and 11th for shot-attempt differential

How fast Florida Panthers skated, how hard they shot and where the puck spent its time, ranked against the other 31 teams.

Top speed, mph22.0730th in the NHL
22+ mph bursts128th in the NHL · average 4
Hardest shot, mph93.6813th in the NHL
90+ mph attempts118th in the NHL · average 2
Distance / 60, mi9.425th in the NHL
Offensive-zone time (EV)43.4%4th in the NHL

Fastest skaters

  1. 22.07Gustav Forsling@CAR29 Sep · OT 01:05
  2. 21.98Seth Jones@CAR29 Sep · 2nd 03:25
  3. 21.83Sandis Vilmanis@ANA4 Oct · 1st 06:07
  4. 21.17Brady Tkachuk@SJS1 Oct · 2nd 05:50
  5. 21.09Eetu Luostarinen@ANA4 Oct · 3rd 04:22
  6. 20.95Garnet Hathaway@ANA4 Oct · 2nd 08:04
  7. 20.92Sam Bennett@ANA4 Oct · 2nd 01:50
  8. 20.85Anton Lundell@SJS1 Oct · 2nd 14:47

Each Florida Panthers skater's fastest burst, the top eight, in mph.

Hardest shots

  1. 88.71Seth Jones@SJS1 Oct · 2nd 03:53
  2. 88.61Gustav Forsling@CAR29 Sep · OT 04:55
  3. 84.80Radko Gudas@SJS1 Oct · 3rd 04:01
  4. 82.16Brady Tkachuk@SJS1 Oct · 2nd 03:12
  5. 81.55Aaron Ekblad@SJS1 Oct · 2nd 16:47
  6. 78.79Anton Lundell@SJS1 Oct · 2nd 19:00
  7. 78.22Sandis Vilmanis@ANA4 Oct · 1st 06:29
  8. 77.65Sam Bennett@ANA4 Oct · 3rd 13:29

Each Florida Panthers skater's hardest shot, the top eight, in mph.

Territory

44.1%All situations37.5%
43.4%Even strength36.9%
55.9%Power play29.8%
30.9%Shorthanded53.4%
OffensiveNeutralDefensive
Shot-attempt differential / game+4.5011th
Shots-on-goal differential / game+1.6011th

Ranks are league-wide, 1st = best.


Goaltending

Jacob Markstrom has started 3 of 4

Starts, save percentage and goals against for every goalie who has played for the club this season, with last season for context.

2026-27

#GoalieGPGSW-L-OTLGAASV%SO
25Jacob Markstrom332-0-11.27.9271
40Akira Schmid110-0-13.80.8750

2025-26

#GoalieGPGSW-L-OTLGAASV%SO
72Sergei Bobrovsky525127-23-13.07.8774
80Daniil Tarasov333113-15-33.05.8950

Team news

Five on the injury list

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

Updated 7 Oct, 7:46 AM ET

Injuries
3 Oct

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

3 Oct

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep

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.

26 Sep

Waived LW Angus Crookshank, Ds Tobias Bjornfot and Casey Fitzgerald.

20 Sep

Agreed to terms with C/LW Samu Salminen on a 2-year, $1.96M contract.

24 Jul

Signed G Akira Schmid to a two-year contract.

21 Jul

Signed D Mikulas Hovorka to a one-year contract.

Injuries and transactions
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
#181Cole ZurawskiRound 6 · Owen SoundRW
#217Louis-Antoine DenaultRound 7 · NewfoundlandG
Full draft

Prediction markets · 2026-27 futures

Priced at 52% to make the playoffs

Every season-long market the venues list for the Florida Panthers, as the venue-average implied chance with each venue's price to buy Yes.

Make the playoffs: market vs last season

From 2025-26 pace: 30%Market: 52%

A 86-point pace (last season's points % over 84 games) maps to about 30%; the market sits 22 points higher.

Season points: the market's ladder

80+97%
85+95%
90+86%
95+76%
100+63%
105+54%
110+36%
115+18%

6 points from 4 games so far. A points pace is shown from game 10.

Stanley Cup2026-27 champion11%11¢Best11¢Not listed
Atlantic DivisionWinner27%Best26¢29¢Not listed
Eastern ConferenceChampion, reaches the Final17%20¢Best16¢Not listed
Make the playoffsTop 8 in the East52%73¢Best34¢Not listed
Presidents' TrophyBest regular-season record12%13¢Best12¢Not listed
105+ pointsRegular-season total · the rung nearest 50%54%57¢Not listedNot listed

Snapshot 7 Oct, 10:12 AM ET. "Best" is the cheapest price to buy Yes after venue fees. Prices are snapshots taken every 15 minutes (season futures hourly), not live. Prediction markets carry risk of loss and are not available in every jurisdiction. 18+/21+ where applicable. How markets work · Affiliate disclosure


Key rivals · all-time regular season

Tampa Bay is the most-played rivalry: 191 meetings

Florida against every Atlantic rival, from each pairing's first meeting in the index, including 2026-27.


Franchise history

10 playoff trips and 2 Stanley Cups in 30 seasons

Playoff depth season by season since 1996-97, the franchise scoring leaders since 1990-91 and its earliest draft picks since 1980. Hover a square for the season.

The last 30 seasons

1996-972010-112025-26
MissedFirst roundSecond roundConference finalFinalWon the Cup

Points leaders since 1990-91

#PlayerSeasonsGPP
1Aleksander Barkov2013–27806782
2Jonathan Huberdeau2012–22671613
3Olli Jokinen2000–08567419
4Aaron Ekblad2014–27806407
5Stephen Weiss2001–13654394
6Sam Reinhart2021–27389385
7Scott Mellanby1993–01552354
8Carter Verhaeghe2020–27440346
9Nathan Horton2003–10422295
10Matthew Tkachuk2022–27246291
11Viktor Kozlov1997–04414291
12Robert Svehla1994–02573290
13Vincent Trocheck2013–20420282
14Radek Dvorak1995–11613268
15Rob Niedermayer1993–01518266
16Sam Bennett2020–27369257
17Pavel Bure1998–02223251
18Keith Yandle2016–21371231
19Ray Whitney1997–01273227
20Jay Bouwmeester2002–09471203
21Evgenii Dadonov2009–20280202
22Anton Lundell2021–27363202
23Gustav Forsling2020–27438194
24Nick Bjugstad2012–19394191
25Brian Campbell2011–16376175

Regular season, with this franchise only.

Retired numbers

1Roberto Luongo
37Wayne Huizenga
93Bill Torrey
99Wayne Gretzky (retired league-wide, 2000)

Numbers retired by the franchise, as of October 2026. Maintained by hand, outside the stats feed.

Top picks since 1980

2014Aaron EkbladD · Barrie (OHL)#1
1994Ed JovanovskiD · Windsor Spitfires (OHL)#1
2013Aleksander BarkovC · Tappara (FINLAND)#2
2011Jonathan HuberdeauC · Saint John (QMJHL)#3
2010Erik GudbransonD · Kingston (OHL)#3
2003Nathan HortonC · Oshawa (OHL)#3

The 6 highest first-round picks of 31 since 1980.


Updated after every final · through 6 Oct