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The 2025-26 NHL season is set to kick off with a triple header on Tuesday, October 7. The first game of the season is the Chicago Blackhawks going on the road to play the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. ET.
Blackhawks vs. Panthers: Head-to-head & key stats
- Chicago is 30-19-3-5 all-time against Florida
- The Blackhawks averaged 2.73 goals per game last season
- Florida went 27-12-2 at home last season
- Chicago allowed 3.5 goals per game last season
- The Panthers averaged 3 goals per game
- The Blackhawks went 10-26-5 on the road last year
- Florida allowed 2.71 goals per game
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Florida Panthers: Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks had the second-worst record in the NHL last season and are expected to be one of the worst teams again. Chicago had a relatively quiet offseason, as the major additions were Andre Burakovsky and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.
The Blackhawks are expected to start Spencer Knight, whom Florida traded to Chicago last year. Knight went 17-16-3 for 2.72 GAA and a .901 SV% last season. This will be his first career game against the Panthers.
Florida, meanwhile, is the reigning Stanley Cup champion and has won back-to-back games. The offseason saw the Panthers re-sign Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad to keep the band back together. However, Matthew Tkachuk is out until December and Aleksander Barkov is done for the year.
The Panthers will be starting Sergei Bobrovsky. The Russian went 33-19-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .906 SV% last season. He's 17-6-2 with a 2.46 GAA and a .919 SV% in his career against the Blackhawks.
Blackhawks vs. Panthers: Odds & Prediction
Chicago is a +230 underdog while Florida is a -285 favorite, with the over/under set for 5.5 goals.
The Blackhawks will likely struggle to score again, but Knight should be a massive upgrade in net. Florida does have some major question marks with its team due to injuries.
However, expect the likes of Reinhart and Bennett to step up offensively in this game to give Florida a big win. The Panthers are raising the Cup banner, and Florida will cruise to a lopsided win here.
Panthers 4, Blackhawks 2.
Blackhawks vs. Panthers: Betting Tips
Tip 1: Florida -1.5 (-110)
Tip 2: Over 5.5 goals (-118)
Tip 3: Brad Marchand 3+ shots on goal (-120)
Tip 4: Florida -0.5 first period (+100)
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Edited by Cole Shelton
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