Panthers open home schedule against Wild without Barkov and Marchand

The Florida Panthers open their 2026-27 home schedule Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, returning from a four-game road trip with a 2-0-2 record and two of their most important forwards out of the lineup. Captain Aleksander Barkov is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a left leg injury, and Brad Marchand is out about six weeks after getting hurt in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Los Angeles. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Eastern.

The game also brings the Sunrise debut of Brady Tkachuk, acquired from the Ottawa Senators in a summer trade, who is expected to make his first regular-season appearance at home as a Panther, according to the team. Florida is 21-7-2-2 all time in home openers and has won its last seven, the club said.

A road trip that cost Florida two centers

The Panthers opened the season with four games away from South Florida and collected six of a possible eight points. Each game was decided by one goal, and three went to overtime.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling won the opener at Carolina with 4.3 seconds left in overtime. Two nights later in San Jose, Barkov went down awkwardly while battling for the puck on a second-period power play. The Panthers rallied to earn a point, but Will Smith scored twice for the Sharks, who won 4-3 in overtime, and Florida lost its captain in the process.

At Anaheim on Sunday, Marchand made his season debut after offseason surgery and scored the tying goal late in the third period before Mikael Granlund won it for the Ducks with a power-play tip-in at 4:14 of overtime. Cutter Gauthier scored both Anaheim goals in regulation. Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida.

The trip ended Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. Seth Jones tied the game in the second period after Alex Laferriere's late first-period goal for the Kings, and Matthew Tkachuk scored the winner at 11:20 of the third, assisted by Sam Bennett. Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves and stopped all 14 shots he faced over the final two periods, according to the Panthers' recap. The win left Florida atop the Atlantic Division.

Barkov's second major leg injury in two seasons

Barkov was placed on long-term injured reserve after the San Jose game, which keeps him out at least 10 games and 24 days. After he saw doctors, the team announced the six-to-eight-week estimate and said surgery would not be required. Coach Paul Maurice called that timeline the team's best window, adding that it could be a little shorter or longer.

The injury is especially difficult for Barkov after he missed all of last season following a September 2025 right knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. Speaking this week while wearing a left knee brace, Barkov said this injury appeared less severe than that one and that he wants to return "as soon as possible," NHL.com reported. He said he trusts his medical team and aims to come back stronger. Barkov traveled with the team for part of the trip before flying back to Florida to see team doctors and begin work with the club's physical therapists, and Maurice said it was good to have him around the group a little longer after the injury. No timeline for a return to the ice has been set.

Barkov, the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft, has 782 points in 806 regular-season games and captained the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025. He has won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward three times.

Marchand hurt in Los Angeles

Marchand was hurt late in the second period Tuesday. Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke high-sticked him as he drove to the net, and Marchand crashed into the right post, grabbed his left knee and could not put weight on his leg. He was helped off the ice and did not return.

Maurice announced Friday that Marchand will miss about six weeks with the lower-body injury and is expected to resume skating in about three weeks. With Barkov on a similar timeline, the Panthers expect both veterans back around the holiday season.

A reshuffled lineup

Without Barkov, Sam Reinhart has moved from the wing to center, joining Bennett, Anton Lundell and Lars Eller at the position. Eller, 37, has moved up to center Brady Tkachuk and Reinhart and has three primary assists in four games, according to the team.

Forsling, who missed the San Jose game with an upper-body injury, returned for the second half of the trip. The Panthers also shuffled their American Hockey League depth during the trip, recalling defenseman Alexander Petrovic and later returning him to the AHL.

The absences put more weight on Florida's goaltending and defense, which have kept every game close. Florida has scored eight goals and allowed eight in four games, and it has yet to lose a game in regulation this season.

The Wild come in from Tampa

Minnesota arrives in South Florida on the second stop of its own swing through the state. The Wild lost 3-2 at Tampa Bay on Thursday, when Tampa Bay goaltender Dennis Hildeby made 34 saves in his Lightning debut and John Carlson scored twice for the Lightning. Defenseman Quinn Hughes scored for Minnesota, and Jesper Wallstedt made 32 saves.

The Wild opened the season with wins over Nashville and Boston before an overtime loss at Buffalo and the defeat in Tampa, leaving them 2-1-1 entering Saturday.

What's next

Saturday's game is the first in Sunrise for a Panthers team trying to bank points while its captain and one of its top veterans recover. Tickets are available through FloridaPanthers.com and SeatGeek. Based on the team's timelines, Barkov and Marchand are expected back around the holiday season, leaving Reinhart, Eller and the Tkachuk brothers to carry the offense through the first quarter of the season.