Florida Panthers

Amerant Bank Arena holds about 19,250 for hockey and sits in Sunrise, northwest of Fort Lauderdale, roughly 40 minutes from Miami. The location has always been the Panthers' logistical challenge in a sprawling South Florida market where driving distances are part of every decision. The 2023 and 2024 Stanley Cup Finals runs - including the 2024 championship - changed the calculus. The fan base that was never huge suddenly had a reason to fill the building, and the atmosphere during the 2024 run was something the franchise had never seen before.

The Sawgrass Mills area around the arena has the usual Florida suburban dining and bar options - nothing transformative, but plenty of sports bars within easy driving distance. Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine on Flamingo Road is a legitimate stop for pregame food if you're doing Florida right. The arena has expanded its concourse food options in recent years and the indoor climate is a selling point given the outdoor heat for most of the regular season.

The Panthers roster built around Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart is a genuine contender and the team has fundamentally changed the conversation about South Florida as an NHL market. Getting tickets for playoff games here is now significantly harder than it was five years ago.

Find Panthers tickets through Evil Tickets before the games you want fill up - the market has shifted.