The NHL begins on Tuesday night with the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the reigning Stanley Cup Champion, Florida Panthers at 5:00 PM EST.
The Pittsburgh Penguins take on the New York Rangers at 8:00 PM EST in the second game of the NHL season. With three hours in between the first and second game, it is incredibly likely that the first goal of the NHL Season will come from either Chicago or Florida, baring a 0-0 tie.
In hopes that the NHL season does not begin with a scoreless tie, lets take a look at which players can score the first goal in the game, and the NHL Season.
Sam Reinhart (FLA)
+900
Sam Bennett (FLA)
+1000
Carter Verhaeghe (FLA)
+1100
Brad Marchand (FLA)
+1200
Connor Bedard (CHI)
+1600
Anton Lundell (FLA)
+1600
Mackie Samoskevich (FLA)
+1600
Ryan Donato (CHI)
+1800
Frank Nazar (CHI)
+1800
Sam Reinhart is the favorite to score the first goal of the season at +900, after scoring a team-leading 39 goals in 2024/24.
Sam Bennett was Panthers second leading goal scorer last season with 25, and he has the second shortest odds at +1000 to score the first goal of 2025/26.
2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard is the favorite to score the first goal of the season for the Blackhawks, and is +1600 to score the first goal of the new NHL Season. Bedard scored 23 goals last season and added 44 assists to lead his team in points.
Ryan Donato led the Blackhawks in goals with 31, and is +1800 to score the first goal of the season.
Read the latest picks and predictions for Blackhawks vs Panthers on site.
Read the latest NHL news on site.
Read the 2025/26 NHL Hart trophy odds.
Read the 2025/26 NHL Vezina trophy odds.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
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