NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Welcome to the opening night of the NHL season! Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers (-285, 5.5)
5 p.m. ET
The Florida Panthers kick off their defense of their back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships when they host the Blackhawks today in the opening game of the 2025-26 season. The Panthers’ players received their Stanley Cup rings last night at a team event. Prior to today’s game, another Stanley Cup banner will be raised.
Florida enters the season without captain Aleksander Barkov (torn ACL and MCL) and Matthew Tkachuk (torn abductor). Barkov was initially believed to be out for the season, but we are now hearing reports that he could be available for the playoffs. Florida has yet to declare him out for the season because, with the new rules implemented, any player declared out for the remainder of the season would not be available for the playoffs. Tkachuk is expected to return sometime in December.
The Blackhawks and Panthers have split their last six meetings overall, but Chicago has dropped eight straight games at Florida, and the Panthers have tallied at least four goals in each of the victories. The “Cats” have won four of their last six home openers, winning all four by a margin of three goals or more. The Blackhawks are just 1-4 in their last five road openers. Today will mark the first time that Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight will face his former team since being traded for Seth Jones.
The Hawks’ Connor Bedard has three goals in four games in his career versus the Panthers and has seven shots on goal in two games against Panthers’ goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. This season, keep an eye on Chicago’s Frank Nazar. Nazar had 12 goals and 26 points in 53 games last season. He led Team USA in goals (6) and points (12) on route to the country’s first Gold Medal at the World Hockey Championships since 1933 back in May. The Blackhawks felt they saw enough to sign Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2 million contract. It’s the largest dollar figure awarded to a player who has played just 56 games. One Florida player prop for me today will be Brad Marchand to record at least one assist. Marchand has 19 assists in 22 career games against the Blackhawks. He should get plenty of opportunities as he is penciled in on the top line and number one power play unit.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Connor Bedard anytime goal (+240) – .10 units
Connor Bedard over 2.5 shots on goal (+122) – .25 units
Frank Nazar anytime goal +390 – .10 units
Florida Team Total Over 3.5 (-118) – 1 unit
Brad Marchand Over ½ assist (+128) – .10 units
Pittsburgh Penguins at NY Rangers (-230, 5.5)
8 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins will see a familiar face on the opposition bench tonight as Mike Sullivan, who spent the previous 10 seasons as their head coach, takes over in New York from the fired Peter Laviolette. Tonight also marks the NHL head coaching debut of Penguins coach Dan Muse, who was previously an assistant coach with the Rangers.
The Penguins have all but “declared” that this season is about seeing what they have in some of their younger players. Making the playoffs, let alone trying to win a Stanley Cup, is not a consideration. Up front, the Penguins are led by the ageless wonder, Sidney Crosby, who returns for his 21st season and is 13 points shy of 1,700 for his career. The Pens will be without Bryan Rust, who suffered a lower-body injury last week in practice and starts the season on injured reserve. The Penguins’ blueline will have them in a tough spot tonight against the Rangers. Beyond aging veterans, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, the rest of the group is made up of one player making his NHL debut, two players who have a combined 178 games of NHL experience, and Caleb Jones (brother of Seth Jones), who has played just 31 NHL games the past two seasons as he has struggled to make an NHL roster.
New York has dominated this matchup by winning seven of the last 10 overall, though the Penguins have won two of their last three trips to MSG. I am hoping the magic between JT Miller and Mika Zibanejad saw both players average a point a game following Miller’s trade to New York last season continues this season. I do believe we will see at least six goals in this game tonight, and I will target the pair, combined with the Over 5.5 for a small parlay. Shop around on the total. I have seen the total climb to 6.5, though many spots have it at six flat.
Though I do like the Rangers winning this game, there are some good value prop plays with the Penguins. Philip Tomasino has three goals in five games against Igor Shesterkin, and Blake Lizotte has three goals in seven games against the Rangers’ netminder.
Late-breaking news from the Penguins is that Arturs Silovs, acquired in the summer from Vancouver, will get the start for Pittsburgh tonight and not Tristan Jarry. Silovs has faced the Rangers twice in his career, losing both starts and giving up nine goals in the two games. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad each have two goals against Silovs.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Penguins/Rangers Over 5.5 (-140) – 1 unit
JT Miller point/Mika Zibanejad point/Over 5.5 (+157) – .25 units
Artemi Panarin anytime goal (+145) – .10 units
Mika Zibanejad anytime goal (+190) – .10 units
Sidney Crosby anytime goal (+180) – .10 units
Philip Tomasino anytime goal (+550) – .10 units
Blake Lizotte anytime goal (+1100) – .10 units
Colorado Avalanche (-120, 5.5) at Los Angeles Kings
10:30 p.m. ET
I am not sure who the LA Kings angered at the league offices to have to kick off their season, not only with back-to-back games, but after opening with the Colorado Avalanche, they get another Western Conference heavyweight in the Vegas Golden Knights. Colorado and Vegas have the second-shortest odds out of the Conference (+900) to win the Stanley Cup. The Kings owned the league’s best home record last season and were 6-1 in the role as a home underdog.
The Avalanche have scored four or more goals in four straight, eight of the last 10 and 12 of the last 16 meetings against the Kings. Arturi Lehkonen, who plays on Colorado’s top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon, has four goals in six games against Kings’ starting goalie, Darcy Kuemper. Two other Avalanche players that are on my radar for goals today are Gabe Landeskog (+330) and Victor Olofsson (+420). Olofsson has three goals on just 10 shots in his career against the Kings.
For the LA Kings, I will focus on Adrian Kempe. The Kings’ most prolific goal scorer averages 3.4 shots per game against the Avalanche. Last season, Kempe had three or more shots on goal in all three games versus the Avalanche (four shots twice). Kempe’s linemate, Andrei Kuzmenko (+310 for a goal), has had success against Avs starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, scoring four goals on just 15 shots (26.7%). Hard to turn down this type of value for a player who plays on both the top line at even strength and the number one power play.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Colorado Avalanche Team Total Over 3.5 goals (+146) – 1 unit
Arturi Lehkonen anytime goal (+275) – .10 units
Gabe Landeskog anytime goal (+330) – .10 units
Victor Olofsson anytime goal (+420) – .10 units
Adrian Kempe Over 2.5 shots on goal (-128) – .50 units
Adrian Kempe Over 3.5 shots on goal (+192) – .20 units
Andrei Kuzmenko anytime goal (+310) – .10 units
