Panthers spoil Hurricanes’ banner night with late OT winner

The Florida Panthers opened the 2026-27 NHL season with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on September 29 in Raleigh, spoiling Carolina’s championship-banner celebration. Gustav Forsling scored the winner with 4.3 seconds left in overtime, ending a game that was scoreless through regulation. Carolina raised its Stanley Cup banner in a pregame ceremony. The Hurricanes had won the championship in June, and the opener paired them with Florida, which won the Cup in 2024 and 2025. The teams’ meeting brought together the previous two Stanley Cup champions. Florida’s decisive play came in the final seconds of overtime, when Carter Verhaeghe moved the puck into the offensive zone and sent it back to Forsling. The defenseman shot from near the blue line, beating Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi. One account reported 4.3 seconds remaining, while others rounded the time to five seconds. Florida goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 15 saves, and Bussi stopped 19 shots. Both teams had chances during regulation but could not score. Their power plays also went without a goal: Florida finished 0-for-7 and Carolina 0-for-6, for a combined 0-for-13.