SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers announced Thursday that they will begin their 22nd season in the National Hockey League on Saturday, Oct. 10, when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. at BB&T Center. The Panthers open the road portion of their schedule two nights later when they travel to Philadelphia for the second game of the home and home set on Monday, Oct. 12, at Wells Fargo Center.
The 2015-2016 regular season is highlighted by 30 divisional games at home, including 13 Saturday night contests at BB&T Center. The Panthers complete the regular season playing four of their final seven games at BB&T Center, hosting the Carolina Hurricanes in their season finale on April 9, at BB&T Center at 7 p.m.
"With the help of the NHL we have assembled a terrific schedule that is favorable for both our team and our fans," said Florida Panthers Executive Chairman Peter Luukko. "We have created a schedule that is filled with fantastic weekend match-ups against the NHL's top clubs, including our intrastate rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. We also will be announcing several unique promotional nights for the 2015-2016 season that will allow our fans to have an interactive experience at all our home games this season."
2015-2016 Schedule Notes:
Schedule Breakdown: Florida plays 30 games within their division playing five times against both their intrastate rival the Tampa Bay Lightning (two home/three road) and the Ottawa Senators (three home/two road), while playing their other division opponents four times each (two home/two away). The Panthers will play 24 games within their conference against non-division teams and 28 games (one home/one away) against the Western Conference.
Panthers Weekend Hockey Fun at BB&T: The Cats will host a season-high 13 games on Saturday, three on Sunday, five on Monday, seven on Tuesday, none on Wednesday, nine on Thursday and four on Friday.
Hockey Around The Holidays: The Panthers are home for a pair of contests during Thanksgiving week, hosting the Los Angeles Kings (Nov. 23) and the New York Islanders for a Black Friday match-up (Nov. 27). Additionally, the Cats host the Ottawa Senators (Dec. 22), Columbus Blue Jackets (Dec.27) and the Montreal Canadiens (Dec. 29). The Panthers open the 2016 calendar year hosting the New York Rangers (Jan. 2) and Minnesota Wild (Jan. 3).
Home Cookin': In February, the Cats will play eight games at BB&T Center, while traveling for just five road contests.
The Busy Months: The Panthers will play a season-high 15 games in March (six home/nine road) and 14 contests in December (six home/eight road).
Championship Hockey: Panthers fans will have the opportunity to watch both the 2015 Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks and the 2015 Eastern Conference Champions Tampa Bay Lightning on back-to-back nights. The Cats play Chicago on Friday, Jan. 22, and host Tampa Bay on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Start Times: All Panthers home games (Monday-Friday) will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday home contests will start at 7 p.m. and Sunday home games will start at 6 p.m with the exception of Dec. 20, vs. Vancouver at 4 p.m. Start times subject to change when national television dictates otherwise.
All-Star Break: The Panthers will not play a game from Jan. 27, to Feb. 1 due to the 2016 All-Star Game that will be played in Nashville, Tenn., at Bridgestone Arena. The All-Star competition will take place from Jan. 30-31. The Cats resume play after the All-Star break when they travel to Washington to take on the Capitals (Feb. 2).
Get Your Tickets Now: 2015-16 Panthers full and partial ticket packages start at $154 and include the best prices, access to team events, an interest-free payment plan option and more. Call 954-835-PUCK or visit FloridaPanthers.com/TicketCentral for more information.
New This Year: Fan-friendly 11-game plans are an exciting way to enjoy Panthers hockey. The Weekend Plan includes 10 Saturday games and one Sunday. With the Rivalry Plan, fans can watch Florida take on opponents such as the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. The Weekday Plan and Red Plan offer other lineups to enjoy the action at BB&T Center.
2015-2016 Schedule Highlights:
-- The Panthers will play five Monday games, seven Tuesday games, eight Thursday games, four Friday games, 13 Saturday games and three Sunday games at BB&T Center during the 2015-2016 season.
-- The Panthers will play six Monday games, 10 Tuesday games, two Wednesday games, nine Thursday games, two Friday games, seven Saturday games and five Sunday games away from BB&T Center during the 2015-2016 season.
-- The Panthers host their intrastate rival and Eastern Conference Champions the Tampa Bay Lightning in two contests on Monday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 23.
-- The Panthers' busiest month of the season is March when the club plays 15 games.
-- The Panthers' busiest home month of the season is February when the Cats play eight home games.
-- The Panthers have two season-high six-game home stands during 2015-2016 season. The Cats host the Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild (December 20 - January 3). Later in the season, the Cats host the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes (February 12 - 25).
-- The Panthers' longest road trip of the season is six games when they visit the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning (January 5 - 17).
-- The Panthers will play 11 games in October, 12 games in November, 14 games in December, 12 in January, 13 in February, 15 in March and five games in April.
-- The Panthers will play six home games in October, seven games in November, six games in December, six in January, eight in February, six in March and two in April.
-- The Panthers will play 14 sets of back-to-back contests (nine sets with both games on the road, three sets with both games at home and one with one away and one home).
Home to the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and leading international concerts and events, the Broward County-owned BB&T Center is one of the top ranked venues of its kind in the world and conveniently located in Broward County and close to Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County and Naples. Florida Panthers Social Media is powered by Ford - follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
