Markstrom sends message with shutout in return to Florida Panthers

Jacob Markstrom did more than shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions in his first game for the Florida Panthers in 18 years.

He conveyed a resounding “shut up” to his critics in a 1-0 season-opening win Tuesday at Carolina.

Markstrom has been cited as the weak link in the Panthers’ chances of returning to championship form. The 6-foot-6 Swede sent a strong message that the Florida net is in capable hands despite the departure of two-time Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky.

While he only faced 15 shots, Markstrom had to withstand six Carolina power plays, including a 5-on-3 for nearly two minutes.

“That's tough. And he handled it like a veteran,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after Markstrom’s efforts paid off on defenseman Gustov Forsling’s goal with five seconds left in overtime.

Markstrom gets plenty of support in opener

One game does not make a season. But Markstrom showed he can deliver what he was acquired to do: provide a capable veteran last line of defense within Maurice’s structured system.

“I thought we played a great game,” Markstrom said. “Everyone, the whole lineup and, you know, all four lines and all six [defensemen] played really good, you know, making my job a lot easier.”

There were moments Markstrom had to stand alone, notably on a ridiculous 4-on-1 rush late in the second period. Niko Mikkola was the only D-man back until Forsling arrived to block Jackson Blake’s shot in the crease. Markstrom turned away Andrei Svechnikov’s follow up in the frantic sequence.

Markstrom also denied Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho on a short-handed breakaway.

“We backchecked really hard and ... maybe he felt that the back-checker was going to catch him,” Markstrom said. “So, you know, I figure I’d just grab some ice and, you know, I try to go five hole ... I was just fortunate enough to stop it.”

Panthers shut down potent Carolina offense

It was a promising start to Markstrom’s second stint with the Panthers. He didn’t record a shutout in 43 games with Florida from 2011-14. He had one shutout in 44 games with New Jersey last season.

Now the veteran of 579 games has the support of a two-time Stanley Cup winner that opened the season healthy and with renewed vigor. In addition to Forsling, Seth Jones was a standout on the blue line during 29 minutes of ice time.

The forwards joined in playing a smothering game after watching the Hurricanes raise their championship banner as the Panthers did the previous two seasons.

Forsling called it “playoff-style hockey. That felt like a playoff game to me. It was awesome, really fun.”

One of the challenges for Markstrom was staying engaged through long stretches of inactivity. Carolina had only three hosts on goal in the first period.

“Even when you don't see much, you stop some rims and you handle the puck and you make sure you talk and try to help the D when we break out, and all that stuff,” he said.

Shutout is third for Panthers in a season opener

Markstrom became the third goalie in Panthers history to register a shutout in a season opener, joining Jose Theodore (Oct. 8, 2011) and Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo (Oct. 5, 2005).

The Panthers traded Markstrom to Vancouver in the deal for Luongo in March 2014. He returns to Florida as a seasoned veteran in his 17th season.

“I’m a completely different person, a completely different goalie from what I was more than a decade ago,” he said during training camp. “Became a whole lot better goaltender and established in this League than when I was 20 years old.”

For what it is worth — again, just one game — Bobrovsky, in his debut for Toronto, allowed three goals in 24 shots in a 3-2 loss to Montreal on Tuesday.

In his final season with the Panthers, Bobrovsky posted a career-worst .877 save percentage in 52 games. Markstrom’s .883 save percentage for New Jersey was the fourth-lowest mark of his career.

One game into 2026-27, the stat that matters to the Panthers is 1-0. It carried the message that they are in good hands with Markstrom in goal.

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