Aerial View on BB&T Center – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by YES Market Media
The Florida Panthers will play a 2021-2022 schedule that feels closer to normal than the past two seasons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida is officially 84 days away from playing regular-season hockey once again, with a surprise visit from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby to get things going on Thursday, Oct. 14 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
The coronavirus pandemic ravaged the 2019-2020 season to just 56 regular-season games and cut last year’s season short to a calendar of 69 to 71 games. This past season, the regular-season schedule and initial two rounds of the playoffs involved only division foes. That left the Panthers with the fourth-best points total in the National Hockey League, with an intimidating first-round playoff matchup against the Stanley Cup champion, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The playoffs will return for 2021 to a traditional conference-top-eight setup, and all games in the regular season will be played against the other 31 teams, both home and away.
On Oct. 19 and Nov. 13, Florida will travel to the Stanley Cup championship while the Lightning will head to Sunrise on Dec. 30 and April 30.
The Montreal Canadiens, the runner-up of the Stanley Cup Finals, will be hosted by the Panthers on Jan. 1 and March 29. This will be the first matchup between the two teams since March 2020.
The Seattle Kraken and Florida will go head to head over Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 27. Then, the Panthers will make the NHL’s longest road trip for a game on Jan. 23 in Seattle. This will be their first time in Seattle.
The Panthers’ furthest road trip will run from March 13-March 27 over a seven-game span, while their longest homestand will be four games. During their March Madness trip, they will visit the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs, totaling nine games during that month. Florida will also have a compact five-game run from Jan. 18-Jan. 25.
The Panthers will end the season with a game against the Canadiens on April 29th in Montreal, Canada.
There will be a break for the Winter Olympics within the schedule from Feb. 2-Feb. 23.
The WELL HEalth-Safety Certified BB&T Center opens for the 2021-2022 season at full capacity. The arena will continue to offer cashless payment options and mobile-only ticketing including in-app concession ordering.
Matchups at Home
The Cats will welcome back their Atlantic Division opponents:
- Boston Bruins Oct. 27
- Buffalo Sabres Dec. 2, April 8
- Detroit Red Wings March 5, April 21
- Montreal Canadiens Jan.1, March 29
- Ottawa Senators Dec. 14, March 3
- Tampa Bay Lightning Dec. 30, April 24
- Toronto Maple Leafs April 5, April 23
Fans can download and sync their schedule by clicking here or visiting FloridaPanthers.com/Schedule.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
