The 2026-27 NHL schedule will be released in full on Thursday, but the San Jose Sharks will host their home opener on Oct. 1 against the Florida Panthers.
The #SJSharks home opener is Oct. 1 against the re-loaded Florida Panthers.
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) July 15, 2026
Based on the Sharks’ initial social media release of this game, this also appears to be the first game of the season. That game won’t be the first of the season for the Panthers. Florida will also play in the NHL’s first game of the season and be forced to watch the Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup banner on Sept. 29.
Florida/Carolina is the right choice for the banner raising. Excellent
Both have won…both at peak confidence/power. A real rivalry. Great showcase. https://t.co/aDqSKUTyHD
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 15, 2026
After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Panthers had a down season in 25-26 but spent the entire 2026 off-season loading up. Their big acquisition is Brady Tkachuk, joining his brother Matthew. They will also get Aleksander Barkov back from a knee injury that cost him the season.
For the San Jose Sharks, Florida represents an interesting first game, whether at home or in the season. The Sharks went 2-0 against the Panthers last season, in games that featured quite the emotions. Alex Nedeljkovic got into a goalie fight with Sergei Bobrovsky. Although that won’t happen again, as Bob has moved on to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Vincent Desharnais scored and leveled Matthew Tkachuk in what was his first game of the season on Nov. 8, the same game as the goalie fight.
So while the rosters for both the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers have changed, there could be some nice carryover into the new season. The Sharks are looking to take a step forward and make the playoffs in 26-27, and the Panthers are a perfect first match-up to throw them right into the fire.
The NHL’s new CBA also adds two games to the schedule, from 82 to 84.