Opening Night for the Florida Panthers has finally arrived. As the NHL’s defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Panthers will be featured in the primetime slot on the league’s first official day of the season (in North America). Florida will host the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

Freedom was the word that Florida coach Paul Maurice kept saying to his team over the final days of the Stanley Cup Final. Play with freedom, he said. He wanted the team loose, to remember that the work had been done, to trust what had gotten the Panthers to the final and helped them take a 3-0 lead.

Threat of Hurricane Milton canceled their public ceremony, but the Panthers held a private one to pass out their Stanley Cup championship rings.