NHL Opening Night 2026-27: Forsling Spoils the Banner Party
Carolina raised the Stanley Cup banner, then lost the game with 4.3 seconds left in overtime. Boston scored three goals in 75 seconds, Vancouver and Edmonton produced eleven, and the No. 1 pick's debut ended minus-two. Five games, one night.
Opening night: quick answers
- When was opening night? Tuesday 29 September 2026 — five games.
- Who won the banner-night game? Florida, 1-0 in overtime, with 4.3 seconds left.
- Who scored it? Gustav Forsling, from near the blue line, assisted by Carter Verhaeghe.
- Were there any shutouts? One: Jacob Markstrom stopped all 15 shots for Florida.
- What is next? TNT opens Wednesday 30 September with Penguins at Flyers and Kings at Avalanche.
Every opening night result
| Result | What happened |
|---|---|
| Panthers 1, Hurricanes 0 (OT) | Gustav Forsling scored with 4.3 seconds left in overtime; Jacob Markstrom made 15 saves for the shutout. |
| Canadiens 3, Maple Leafs 2 | William Nylander scored twice for Toronto, including the season's first goal, but Montreal took it. |
| Bruins 3, Rangers 0 | Three goals in 75 seconds late in the third; Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots. |
| Canucks 6, Oilers 5 (OT) | Eleven goals in Edmonton, and Vancouver won it in overtime. |
| Golden Knights 5, Blackhawks 2 | Vegas opened at home against the club that has rebuilt through the draft. |
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The five games, in order of what they told us
Carolina's banner went up, and the game went the other way
The Hurricanes got their rings last week and raised the banner on Tuesday night — the players gathered at the blue line, Jordan Staal brought the Cup out, they did the Storm Surge, and the flag went to the rafters. Then Florida won it with 4.3 seconds left in overtime, on a Gustav Forsling one-timer from near the blue line after Carter Verhaeghe carried the puck in. Carolina still took a point. Goaltending decided it: Jacob Markstrom stopped all 15 shots in his first game back with the Panthers, including a short-handed breakaway by Sebastian Aho; Brandon Bussi made 19 saves and called the winner "a bad goal by my standards." It was also the first game back for Aleksander Barkov since his knee surgery, and Brady Tkachuk's Florida debut alongside his brother Matthew.
Nylander scored twice, and it still was not enough
Toronto's most consistent player last season was their most consistent player on opening night: William Nylander scored 48 seconds in, stepping around Nick Suzuki at the blue line, and added a second to pull the Maple Leafs back to 3-2. It tied him with Zdenek Nedved (1995) for the fourth-fastest season-opening goal in franchise history. Montreal won through Josh Anderson, Alexandre Carrier and Zachary Bolduc. The bigger story was Toronto's new-look roster: No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna and Kirill Marchenko both debuted, McKenna finished minus-two, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots in his first game as a Maple Leaf.
Boston scored three times in 75 seconds, and the streak goes on
For 56 minutes the Bruins and Rangers played a goalless game. Then Fraser Minten — who signed a seven-year deal this summer — broke it with a shot from the left side, JJ Peterka scored on a move through Braden Schneider, and Mark Kastelic added an empty-netter, all inside 75 seconds. Jeremy Swayman finished with 24 saves, the 19th shutout of his career, and Boston have now won eleven consecutive home openers.
Eleven goals in Edmonton, and Vancouver took the extra point
The highest-scoring game of the night was in Edmonton, where the Canucks won 6-5 in overtime. Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves in the Vancouver net; Tristan Jarry stopped 17 of 23 for the Oilers. It is the sort of opening night that raises more questions about the goaltending at both ends than it answers.
Vegas opened at home and won comfortably
The Golden Knights beat Chicago 5-2 in front of their own crowd, with Carter Hart making 24 saves. Vegas spent last season as the Western Conference champions; Chicago opened with the kind of game a rebuilding club expects to have in October.
Opening night by the numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Games | 5 |
| Goals | 27 |
| Games decided in overtime | 2 |
| Shutouts | 1 (Markstrom, 15 saves) |
| Road wins | 3 of 5 |
| Biggest margin | 3 goals (Bruins) |
| Highest-scoring game | Edmonton, 11 goals |
| Fastest goal of the season | Nylander, 48 seconds |
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Next up: TNT opens on Wednesday
| Game | Start (ET) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Penguins at Flyers | 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT — the network's first night of the season |
| Kings at Avalanche | 10:00 p.m. ET | TNT — the late window |
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Shirt demand index: opening night
Built from our own order flow and range depth the morning after the games.
Panthers and Canadiens. Florida won a banner-night game in Carolina with a new goaltender; Montreal went into Toronto and won in front of a rebuilt roster. Both markets move on a result like that.
Bruins and Golden Knights. Two home wins, two large fan bases, and two ranges that sell through October whatever the standings say.
Maple Leafs and Oilers. Toronto lost with the No. 1 pick in the lineup and Edmonton lost an eleven-goal game at home — the two most interesting prices on the board.
Opening night shirts
The clubs that played on the first night, in fan and player editions. Printed names add a few days — order before the first homestand ends.
Seth Jarvis Carolina Hurricanes Alternate Bre…
Florida Panthers Home Pro Custom Shirt Red
Toronto Maple Leafs Home Pro Custom Shirt Blue
Juraj Slafkovsky Montreal Canadiens Premium S…
Edmonton Oilers Away Premium Shirt in White
Vegas Golden Knights Home Breakaway Custom Sh…
Boston Bruins Away Breakaway Custom Shirt - W…
Igor Shesterkin New York Rangers Centennial P…
Our verdict
Opening night gave the league the story it wanted and the result it did not: the champions lost on their own banner night, to the club that won the two Cups before them, with four seconds left. For a fan deciding which shirt to buy in October, the useful signal is not the ceremony but the goaltending — Markstrom was perfect in his first game back, Swayman has now won eleven straight home openers, and the two clubs that produced eleven goals in Edmonton both have questions in net.
What were the NHL opening night results?
How did the Hurricanes lose after raising the banner?
Who was in goal for the Panthers?
What happened to the No. 1 pick?
How many goals were scored on opening night?
Why is the Bruins' home opener notable?
What is on the schedule next?
Where can I buy NHL jerseys?
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