The Carolina Hurricanes got their championship rings this week, they raised their Stanley Cup banner on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and they have their first loss of the season.
They did pick up a point as the Florida Panthers and Hurricanes pushed their scoreless tie to overtime in the NHL's 2026-27 season opener.
But Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling scored with 4.3 seconds left in overtime to get a 1-0 win as Florida tries to return to the playoffs after the two-time Stanley Cup champions were crushed by injuries last season.
The NHL had five games on the schedule. Here are the winners and losers of the early games from opening night:
WINNERS
Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom
The question heading into the season was whether the Panthers' goaltending would be good enough.
They couldn't work out
a deal with two-time Cup and Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky and he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the days leading up to free agency, the Panthers traded for Markstrom and Akira Schmid.
Markstrom, who began his career with the Panthers, was steady in the opener, making 15 saves, including on Carolina's 4-on-1 break. He matched his shutout total from last season, when he struggled with an .883 save percentage for the New Jersey Devils.
Hurricanes' Stanley Cup banner raising
The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in Las Vegas last season, so they gave fans the on-ice celebration that they missed. Better yet, they did a Storm Surge, the traditional post-win celebration. The players gathered around the faceoff circle, captain Jordan Staal brought in the Stanley Cup and they did their traditional overhand clap. Then they posed with the banner before it went to the rafters.
The most special Storm Surge of all time pic.twitter.com/K0fk1X8uQt
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) September 29, 2026
Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander
Nylander was the Maple Leafs most consistent player in a season in which their nine-year playoff streak ended. He was again on Tuesday, scoring the first goal of the 2026-27 NHL season and adding another to pull the Maple Leafs close in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Boston Bruins' Fraser Minten
Minten was one of the youngsters who cashed in this summer, signing a seven-year, $50 million contract. He broke a scoreless tie with a wicked shot late in the third period of a victory against the New York Rangers.
LOSERS
Maple Leafs' newcomers
GM John Chayka was busy remaking the Maple Leafs this summer and fall. Just-acquired Kirill Marchenko had an assist and another opportunity. But defenseman Darren Raddysh was a minus-2. So was No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna, who made an ill-advised bank pass off the boards. None of the other newcomers had a point and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had an .875 save percentage.
Hurricanes' play on Florida's winning goal
The Hurricanes had the puck deep in the Florida zone late in overtime and allowed the Panthers to come down the ice and set up Forsling's winner on a one-timer. Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi didn't like how he gave up a shot from distance and lost an opportunity for the game to go to a shootout. "By my standards, it's a bad goal," he said.
PURE FILTH BY PETERKA IN HIS BRUINS DEBUT AND THE B'S TAKE A 2-0 LEAD LATE 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/TFQh2ooJov
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 30, 2026
New York Rangers' collapse
The Bruins-Rangers game looked like it might be the second one of the night to be scoreless through regulation. But the Rangers gave up three goals in 75 seconds for the loss. JJ Peterka made a great move through Braden Schneider for the Bruins' second goal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL winners and losers include Panthers goalie, Maple Leafs newcomers
