After a perfect three-game swing away from home, the Florida Panthers are back in Sunrise for a quick pit stop - their second one-game homestand in as many weeks. And while it’s a brief return, it comes at a critical juncture in their playoff push.
The Panthers swept their road trip, picking up three wins that not only boosted team morale but also tightened the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Heading into Tuesday’s matchup with the Utah Mammoth, Florida sits just four points behind Montreal and Boston for the two Wild Card spots, and they're also four back of Buffalo for third in the Atlantic Division.
The kicker? Florida holds two games in hand on Boston and one on Montreal - a valuable edge this time of year.
It wasn’t long ago that things looked shaky for the Cats. After the calendar flipped to 2026, they dropped four of five, raising some early-year concerns. But this team has steadied the ship, and the recent road trip felt like a turning point - the kind of stretch that can galvanize a locker room.
Because of the road-heavy January schedule, it’s been over three weeks since the Panthers last celebrated a win on home ice - a 2-1 grinder over Colorado back on January 4. Tuesday’s game against Utah marks just their second appearance at Amerant Bank Arena since then.
The Mammoth, meanwhile, come to town riding a hot streak of their own - or at least they were until Monday night. Utah had rattled off five straight wins and eight of their last nine before running into a brick wall in Tampa Bay, where they were shut out 2-0 by the Lightning. Now they’re on the second half of a back-to-back, facing a Panthers team that’s rested, confident, and playing with purpose.
Florida won’t be home for long - after Tuesday, they’re back on the road for a quick trip to St. Louis, a homecoming of sorts for Matthew Tkachuk. But this stretch marks the beginning of something important: four home games in the next eight days, including matchups against Buffalo and Boston - two teams directly in the Panthers’ postseason crosshairs.
These are the kinds of games that define a season. And for Florida, the opportunity is right there - win at home, beat the teams ahead of you, and make a real push toward playoff positioning.
Here’s how the Panthers are expected to line up against Utah:
Forwards
- Carter Verhaeghe - Evan Rodrigues - Sam Reinhart
- Sandis Vilmanis - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
- Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Brad Marchand
- A.J. Greer - Cole Schwindt - Mackie Samoskevich
Defensemen
- Gus Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
- Niko Mikkola - Uvis Balinskis
- Tobias Bjornfot - Jeff Petry
The Panthers are starting to get healthier, and with goaltending holding strong, there’s a sense that this team is gearing up for a serious second-half run. Tuesday night against the Mammoth might just be another step in that direction.