The Florida Panthers are finally back home.
Despite the NHL season being just over a month old, the Panthers have already endured road trips of four and five game lengths, one of which took the team to the opposite side of the country for a week.
After a forgettable first trip, and a regretful opening game of last week’s trip in California, the Panthers are showing some serious signs of positivity.
That 7-3 loss last Tuesday in Anaheim led to an intense team practice and video sessions the following day in Los Angeles, one that Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice described as something of a back-to-basics kind of exercise.
Florida’s three games since have been three of their better games of the season, and certainly some of the best they’ve played on the road so far.
Now the question will be whether they can carry that momentum into what will be an extended period of time spent almost exclusively in South Florida.
Starting Thursday, when the Panthers host the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena, Florida will play 12 games over a 24-day stretch.
Only one of those 12 games will be on the road.
It all starts with a five-game homestand that starts Thursday and ends over a week later, as the Cats will host the Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers.
Then, a quick trip up to Tennessee for a matchup with the Nashville Predators on Monday, Nov. 24.
After that it’ll be right back down to South Florida for a six-game homestand that spans 12 days, featuring games against the Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maples Leafs, Nashville, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders.
So far this season, the Panthers have played only seven of their 16 games at home, holding a strong 5-1-1 mark in Sunrise.
If they can find a way to combine the recent momentum that was found on the road with their already formidable ability to win games at home, the next several weeks could be very prosperous for the Panthers.
Entering play Wednesday, Florida holds a very mediocre 8-7-1 record on the season. It’s good for a tie for sixth in the Atlantic Division with Toronto and a spot one point behind the Wild Card leading Flyers.
The good thing for the Panthers is that the standings are still extremely tightly packed, as only five points separate Florida from the top of the division, with games in hand on both the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators, who sit second and third in the Atlantic, respectively.
Bottom line, the Panthers have a wonderful opportunity in front of them to simultaneously continue riding the momentum of their trip, enjoy some time at home while working with more familiar routines and made up some ground in the standings at a time where it’s easiest to do so.
We’ll see if Florida can take advantage in the coming days and weeks.
Stay tuned.
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Photo caption: Nov 1, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Mackie Samoskevich (11) celebrates with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) after winning a shootout against the Dallas Stars at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
