Florida Panthers – Chicago Blackhawks 07-10-2025

The day is finally here, and one of the world's greatest circuses is back once again. For all hockey fans, the start of the NHL season is a special day. Practice games are put aside, and hockey across the pond is back in earnest. This season, the opening game is when the two-time Stanley Cup winner Florida Panthers host the Chicago Blackhawks at home in Amerant Bank Arena.

The Panthers have drawn the longest straw for two years in a row by beating the Edmonton Oilers in the finals both times. They would certainly have liked to do it again. We are not entirely sure that will happen. We will get into the reason for that. But we certainly believe that they will be one of the top teams. It is equally certain that the Chicago Blackhawks, as usual, will end up far down the table. The Blackhawks have finished among the bottom three teams in the last three seasons, and could easily end up in the same situation this season as well.

Before we look at the teams and get down to business, we just have to say that it is not unusual for the reigning champions to start weakly. They have played a long season winning the final, and the teams that go all the way have often not had the same run-up as the other teams have had. They often need a few rounds before they find their form. Important to include, even though we believe there should be a class difference between these teams.

Florida Panthers - a couple of heavy injuries

Florida was tipped as the favorites before this season a few weeks ago, shared with last year's second finalist. But a couple of really heavy injuries have caused most bookmakers to move them down to 4-6th place. It has already been confirmed that Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov are out for most of the season. In fact, Barkov is most likely to miss the entire season. There are really two heavy losses for the reigning champions before this season.

Fortunately, the team has other profiles to lean on. A couple of these have a very similar story, which shows how random top sports can be. The eye of the needle is, as is well known, narrow at this level, and you need a little luck to succeed. In 2021, the Panthers traded for both Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart. They came from the Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres. Both were drafted, with high expectations. But neither of them realized their potential in their clubs at the time. After making the trip down to Florida, they haven't looked back. They have both been dominant players for this Panthers team, and will certainly be more important than ever now that they have some real profiles on the injury list. We think they are ready for that.

Another thing the Panthers are known for is good goaltending and that the entire team with all 4 ranks is hardworking. They will definitely be that way this season as well. Sergei Bobrovsky in particular is a goaltender to rely on. When the team also secured Brad Marchand from the Bruins last year, they got a signal player in terms of effort.

The team should be better than their opponent in this opening match, even though there have been some weak results in the preseason matches. As mentioned earlier, it often takes a while to set the team after a long season.

Chicago Blackhawks – bottom team with potential

First of all, it should be said that this team is tipped by most bookmakers to be at the bottom this season as well. We wouldn't be surprised if that happens. But still, there is something about some of these players in the Blackhawks that makes us curious about what they can do.

A player who would have made it onto any team in the NHL is the rising star Connor Bedard. The 20-year-old is one of the greatest talents hockey has ever seen. He is being compared to some of the real greats. Considering that he plays on one of the weakest teams in the league, he has delivered huge numbers in terms of scoring over the last two seasons. We believe he will do the same this year. Chicago's first line can easily create something against any opponent. Here is the potential. Forwards Donato and Burakovsky, along with defensemen Vlasic and Rinzel, will certainly get the team some points almost on their own.

The goalies, however, are probably the weakest link in this team. We all know what that can mean. Because good goalies are a necessity in this league. We imagine that the Blackhawks will concede a lot of extra goals this season with relatively untested goalies. It can affect team morale, and easy goals against often lead to losses at this level.

Physicality is also a shortcoming here, and the team could struggle against some of the better teams. Even though the team has great speed, the physicality will probably be difficult to compensate for. We predict they will struggle over a long season in a tough league.

Conclusion – The Champions with a Dream Opening

We think there should be a class difference between the teams here. When the arena fills up to pay tribute to their team, both the audience and the Panthers are probably ready to have a great opening to this year's season. We think they are taking it seriously, and will offer a great experience for their home crowd at the start of the new season. They have hardly been able to get an easier opponent in the opening. So we think this will work out for the home team. We are therefore playing:

Hockey at 23:00: Florida Panthers - Chicago Blackhawks: Florida Panthers win -1.5 goals (1.92)