The Florida Panthers opened defense of their Stanley Cup championship by topping the Boston Bruins 6-4 on Tuesday in the opener for both teams.

The heavy, uptempo redesign, made in large part to go head to head with Florida, did not generate the desired flash and dash.

Carter Verhaeghe and the Panthers have agreed to an eight-year, $56 million contract extension. The deal was announced shortly after the Stanley Cup champions opened their season by beating the Boston Bruins 6-4 on Tuesday night.

Sources told ESPN that Carter Verhaeghe's new contract includes $48 million in guaranteed signing bonus money and carries trade protection.

They played Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on the giant video screens over the ice at the Florida Panthers’ home rink on Tuesday, fans cheering again when Sam Reinhart scored the go-ahead goal and getting even louder when the final seconds where shown.

Sam Bennett scored two goals as the Florida Panthers opened the defense of their first Stanley Cup title with a 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins.

Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, will get the nod in net against the Bruins, while Chris Driedger, who is back with the Panthers after a couple of seasons with the Seattle Kraken, will serve as his backup.