The 2025-26 NHL season is upon us and it all kicks off on Wednesday with a three-game slate.
Our first matchup of the season is Connor Bedard and Chicago Blackhawks hitting the road to face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
Chicago looks to continue their growth and hopefully make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season, while Florida heads into this season looking to be the first team since the New York Islanders (1980-83) to three-peat in the NHL.
The action happens in Sunrise, Florida where these two will duke it out and here are our Blackhawks vs. Panthers predictions to get you set.
In the grand scheme of things, the Panthers are a much more powerful roster and organization as things currently stand.
They also have home ice advantage, making them major favorites in this matchup, however, I think the Blackhawks will keep up in this one.
Florida’s most-recent game was on June 17 in their Stanley Cup victory. This may seem like a long time ago, but compared to the rest of the league, it is a very quick Summer.
We have seen over the years that teams who participate in the Stanley Cup Finals could still be fatigued and banged up. Last season, the two finalists (Edmonton and Florida) combined for a record of 1-5-0 in their first three games.
Even with how strong the Panthers are, I don’t necessarily expect them to have full gas tanks and to be fully healthy.
They are also without key pieces Alex Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, as well as depth piece Tomas Nosek. Other key players in Aaron Ekblad and Anton Lundell are also facing injuries, with their status unknown for this game.
This is a great opportunity for a young and excited Blackhawks squad to set the tone for this season early by keeping this tight and possibly even winning as huge underdogs.
Bedard is already entering his 3rd NHL season. After a great start to his career in the 2023-24 season, he did not make a major jump last season in his first full season as most expected him to.
In getting to know his fiery personality over his first couple of seasons, he will be focused on making a major jump this season.
It all starts in this first game against the defending Stanley Cup champion. They are the standard he knows his team needs to reach, and he needs to lead the way. I expect him to come out of the gates flying and be a threat every shift.
In four preseason appearances, Bedard took 18 shots, averaging 4.5 shots per game. This would have also come with limited playing time compared to the real thing.
He averaged far fewer shots last year (2.4) compared to his rookie season (3.0), but I expect that average to spike up in a huge season for him.
Sergei Bobrovsky has been a brick wall for Florida and a major reason for their two-straight Stanley Cup victories.
He should be healthy and ready to backstop his team to more success, but he may have a strong attack coming in the first game of the season.
As mentioned, I expect the Blackhawks to have much more juice than the Panthers, who have played a ton of hockey over the past three seasons in three Stanley Cup Finals appearances.
We could see lots of offensive zone time than expected from Chicago.
The Blackhawks know they will need to throw a lot at Bobrovsky if they want a chance to win.
Whether they have a lead or are playing from behind, I expect a lot of rubber to come from Chicago’s attack, with Bobrovsky having a lot of work to do.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the NHL on site.
Chicago Blackhawks
+235
Florida Panthers
-290
Puck Line
FLA -1.5
Total
O/U 5.5
Sam Reinhart (FLA Panthers)
+125
Sam Bennett (FLA Panthers)
+135
Carter Verhaeghe (FLA Panthers)
+155
Brad Marchand (FLA Panthers)
+175
Connor Bedard (CHI Blackhawks)
+230
Ryan Donato (CHI Blackhawks)
+280
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. 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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