The Tkachuk brothers on the Florida Panthers bench against Carolina. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Florida Panthers visit the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Sunday, October 4, 2026, with puck drop set for 8:00 PM EDT.
Matchup: Florida Panthers (1-0-1, 3 points in 2026-27) at Anaheim Ducks (1-0-0, 2 points in 2026-27)
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026
Puck drop: 8:00 PM EDT (5:00 PM PDT local)
Venue: Honda Center
How to watch: ANA: Prime Video, TVAS, KCOP-13 · FLA: SCRIPPS
Florida Panthers News & Notes
Florida opened the season in Carolina, where the banner-raising belonged to the Hurricanes, and spoiled it with an overtime win on a goal from Gustav Forsling. The Panthers carried the shot advantage throughout, finishing 20-15, and matched Carolina’s physical play in a tight first period. Boko Imama fought Nicolas Deslauriers late in the frame. The second period turned into special-teams work, with five Florida penalties and four Carolina penalties, including 5-on-3 chances for both sides.
The Panthers went 2-0-2 in the preseason, with Brady Tkachuk scoring in both games against Carolina while skating alongside Aleksander Barkov, who was in his first regular-season action in over a year. Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid form a new tandem after the departures of Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov, with both goaltenders signed for two seasons. Barkov has since left a game with a leg injury, and Paul Maurice said doctors in Florida will determine its severity.
Anaheim Ducks News & Notes
Anaheim’s young core remains the story in Southern California. Leo Carlsson, taken second overall in 2023, has drawn comparisons to Leon Draisaitl as a big, well-rounded forward whose offensive pace held up alongside the class’s headliners, and he lands second in a re-ranking of that draft behind Connor Bedard. Beckett Sennecke, the surprise third overall selection in 2024, is a big-bodied forward who does a bit of everything. The club carries #FlyTogether as its official hashtag for the season.
The Ducks submitted their 2026-27 season-opening roster earlier this week and followed with a round of roster moves, including placing forward Pat Maroon and goaltender Jake Allen on injured reserve. Anaheim opened the schedule on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 2, the first stop of an 84-game season that began once the preseason schedule wrapped up in late September.
Florida Panthers Projected Lines
Line 1: Brady Tkachuk – Lars Eller – Sam Reinhart
Line 2: Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Line 3: Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
Line 4: Bokondji Imama – Sam Lafferty – Garnet Hathaway
Pair 1: Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Pair 2: Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Pair 3: Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas
Goaltenders: Akira Schmid – Jacob Markstrom
Florida Panthers Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Sam Reinhart – Seth Jones – Matthew Tkachuk
Power play, Second unit: Lars Eller – Anton Lundell – Carter Verhaeghe – Aaron Ekblad – Gustav Forsling
Penalty kill, First unit: Lars Eller – Sam Reinhart – Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Penalty kill, Second unit: Anton Lundell – Eetu Luostarinen – Niko Mikkola – Radko Gudas
Anaheim Ducks Projected Lines
Line 1: A.J. Greer – Leo Carlsson – Cutter Gauthier
Line 2: Beckett Sennecke – Mikael Granlund – Alex Killorn
Line 3: Nikita Nesterenko – Ryan Poehling – Frank Vatrano
Line 4: Jeff Malott – Tim Washe – Judd Caulfield
Pair 1: Jackson Lacombe – Tristan Luneau
Pair 2: Pavel Mintyukov – Travis Mitchell
Pair 3: Tyson Hinds – Noah Warren
Goaltenders: Lukas Dostal – Ville Husso
Anaheim Ducks Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Beckett Sennecke – Leo Carlsson – Mikael Granlund – Jackson Lacombe – Cutter Gauthier
Power play, Second unit: A.J. Greer – Ryan Poehling – Alex Killorn – Tristan Luneau – Pavel Mintyukov
Penalty kill, First unit: Ryan Poehling – Alex Killorn – Jackson Lacombe – Pavel Mintyukov
Penalty kill, Second unit: Tim Washe – Mikael Granlund – Noah Warren – Tyson Hinds
Players To Watch
Matthew Tkachuk — Florida Panthers
Tkachuk scored on two shots in 22:47 last time out, and the underlying work backs it up. Box Score Junkie has him at 73.9% Corsi-for and 72.3% Fenwick through 42 minutes this season, with 73.2 shot attempts per 60 and 1.3 high-danger xG generated while he’s on the ice.
Leo Carlsson — Anaheim Ducks
Carlsson needed just one shot to post a goal and an assist last game in 17:43. Box Score Junkie’s 2026-27 numbers show why he’s the Ducks’ bright spot: 62.5% Corsi-for, 66.7% Fenwick, and a team-best 84.7 shot attempts per 60, plus a goal on 0.2 expected.
Injury Report
Florida Panthers
Gustav Forsling (D) — Day-To-Day, Upper Body, expected back Sunday, October 4
Aleksander Barkov (C) — Injured Reserve, Knee, expected back Tuesday, October 27
Brad Marchand (LW) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Sunday, October 25
MacKenzie Entwistle (RW) — Injured Reserve, Undisclosed, expected back Saturday, October 10
Jonah Gadjovich (LW) — Injured Reserve, Upper Body, expected back Saturday, October 17
Anaheim Ducks
Drew Helleson (D) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Wednesday, October 7
Troy Terry (RW) — Injured Reserve, Hip, expected back Saturday, November 21
Ian Moore (D) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Friday, October 16
Next Up
Florida Panthers: visit the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, October 6.
Anaheim Ducks: host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, October 7.