Hurricanes to open the NHL season against the Panthers, raise their Stanley Cup banner on Sept. 29

The Carolina Hurricanes will raise their second Stanley Cup championship banner on September 29 before hosting the Florida Panthers in the NHL season opener. Carolina won the title for the first time since 2006, losing only one game through the Eastern Conference before defeating Vegas in the final. The NHL is expanding to an 84-game schedule for the first time since 1993-94, with 1,344 total games representing the most in league history.