Carolina raised its championship banner. Florida spoiled the night with 4.3 seconds left
Gustav Forsling’s overtime winner with 4.3 seconds remaining gave the Panthers a 1-0 opening-night win over defending champion Carolina, hours after the Hurricanes raised their 2026 Stanley Cup banner.
Panthers' OT win at Hurricanes comes in battle of Stanley Cup winners | AP News
Forsling scores OT winner with 4.3 seconds left, Panthers spoil Hurricanes’ banner raising | NHL.com
Bussi laments allowing 'pretty bad goal' in Hurricanes' opening OT loss | NHL.com
Recap: Canes Dealt Last-Minute Loss On Opening Night | Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes raise banner, lose opener to Panthers in OT
A banner night ended at the last possible moment
The Carolina Hurricanes began their first game since winning the 2026 Stanley Cup with a 15-minute banner ceremony. It ended when Florida’s Gustav Forsling one-timed Carter Verhaeghe’s pass from just inside the blue line with 4.3 seconds left in overtime, giving the Panthers a 1-0 win in Raleigh on Sept. 29. The game had seemed headed for a shootout. apnews +2
The opener paired Carolina, the new champion, with Florida, which won the Cup in 2024 and 2025. The NHL says it was only the third season opener in its modern era, dating to 1943-44, to feature the two previous Cup winners. Florida also eliminated Carolina in the Eastern Conference final in both of its championship seasons. apnews +1
Two goalies kept the opener scoreless
Jacob Markstrom stopped all 15 shots he faced, including a second-period breakaway by Carolina’s Sebastian Aho. Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi made 19 saves before Forsling’s shot beat him. The teams went a combined 0-for-13 on power plays: Florida was 0-for-7 and Carolina 0-for-6. apnews +2
Carolina’s recap said penalties and stoppages disrupted the flow; coach Rod Brind’Amour described his team as rusty after the preseason. Neither side scored in regulation or the first 4:55 of overtime. The 19,250 fans set a regular-season attendance record for Lenovo Center, according to the Hurricanes. apnews +2
Bussi’s first test as starter ends on one shot
Bussi was blunt about the finish: “For my standards it’s a bad goal.” He had made 22 saves in Carolina’s Cup-clinching Game 6 shutout in June after Frederik Andersen was injured. With Andersen gone in free agency, Bussi entered this season as the expected No. 1 goalie; Tuesday’s 19-save performance was strong until the final shot. apnews +1
Florida also began the year with captain Aleksander Barkov back after missing all of last season with a knee injury and Brady Tkachuk making his Panthers debut. Injuries helped keep Florida out of the playoffs last year, so the opener offered an early look at a deeper lineup, though one game cannot settle its contender status. Carolina is next scheduled to host Washington on Friday, Oct. 2. apnews +3