The Philadelphia Flyers and the Florida Panthers face off tonight at 7:00 PM ET at Amerant Bank Arena, marking the start of the 2025-26 regular season for the Flyers. The Panthers, the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, are looking to continue their dominance, while the Flyers aim to begin a new chapter under coach Rick Tocchet and improve upon last season's last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division.
Here's a look at the projected lineups:
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards:
- Christian Dvorak - Sean Couturier - Matvei Michkov
- Owen Tippett - Trevor Zegras - Travis Konecny
- Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
- Jett Luchanko - Rodrigo Abols - Garnet Hathaway
Defensemen:
- Nick Seeler - Travis Sanheim
- Adam Ginning - Jamie Drysdale
- Egor Zamula - Noah Juulsen
Goaltenders:
- Dan Vladar (likely starter)
- Samuel Ersson
Notes: Nikita Grebenkin is expected to be a healthy scratch for the opener. Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York are on injured reserve. Dan Vladar will start in goal.
Florida Panthers
Forwards:
- Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
- Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Brad Marchand
- Mackie Samoskevich - Evan Rodrigues - Jesper Boqvist
- A.J. Greer - Luke Kunin - Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen:
- Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
- Niko Mikkola - Seth Jones
- Dmitry Kulikov - Jeff Petry
Goaltenders:
- Sergei Bobrovsky (likely starter)
- Daniil Tarasov
Notes: The Panthers are dealing with significant injuries to key players Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Tomas Nosek is also injured.
Storylines to Watch:
- Flyers' Youth Movement: Keep an eye on Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras, who have shown early chemistry. Michkov is entering his second season after a strong rookie campaign. Zegras, acquired in a trade, brings elite puck-handling and playmaking abilities.
- Panthers' Depth: Despite missing key players, the Panthers demonstrated their depth in their opening game, with bottom-six forwards contributing to the scoring.
- Goaltending Matchup: Dan Vladar, making his Flyers debut, faces a tough test against Sergei Bobrovsky, who is fresh off a Stanley Cup-winning season.
- New Coaching Debut: Rick Tocchet begins his tenure as Flyers coach, returning to the team where he had a successful playing career.
Additional Information:
The game will be broadcast on SCRIPPS, ESPN+, and NBCS-PH. Radio coverage is available on 560AM WQAM and 97.5 The Fanatic.
