Ryan Hodges
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Welcome back! The NHL’s 2024-25 season is officially underway with a couple of games already having been played over in Europe. But opening night in North America is here! The Florida Panthers hoisted the Stanley Cup just over 3 months ago. So while we cannot say it has been a long wait, for hockey fans it has been long enough. Tuesday’s season-opening slate is a small but respectable one. First, the Blues and Kraken face off in Seattle in the afternoon, followed by the Bruins vs Panthers, and capped by the Blackhawks against the Utah Hockey Club playing in their first-ever competitive game.
Fans are going to be treated to some great hockey tonight. For those looking to make a few plays here are a couple of our NHL best bets for tonight. You can also find out our NHL picks for each of today’s big games.
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Bruins vs Panthers best bet: Under 5.5 (-112)
The Bruins and Panthers are all too familiar with each other by now. They play in the same division during the regular season and for the last 2 years they have faced off in the postseason as well. There are no secrets between these teams which bodes well for a lower total. These coaching staffs have had plenty of time to game plan against a familiar team for this game. They know how to play against one another, how to match lines, how best to play the opponent and what strings to pull when.
This is a big night for the Panthers in that they are raising their Stanley Cup banner before the game. There is nothing this Bruins team would like more than to spoil the night. They are a good team fed up with being bullied by the Panthers for the past couple of seasons. Look for Boston to come out and play a physical and fundamentally sound game. Despite the adrenaline Florida will have, they will likely lose if they do not play a similar way. The familiarity, styles, strengths, and weaknesses of these teams gives the Under real appeal.
Read our full Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers predictions
Blackhawks vs Utah best bet: Hockey Club -1.5 (+150)
This is another game that will have a palpable energy in the arena as it is the inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club and their first home game in franchise history. These players, as Arizona Coyotes, have played the last two seasons in a small 5,000-seat arena. They once again have NHL-quality facilities and will be playing in front of a new home crowd that will be going nuts for this new team. With all due respect to Arizona fans, this is what these players deserve. Tonight will bring a big home-ice advantage for the Utah Hockey Club.
Adding to the adrenaline and energy that Utah will have, they also just plain look to be the better team. This team finished 25 points ahead of the Blackhawks last season, which was their second consecutive campaign finishing above Chicago. This Utah team is a talented young group that has grown as a unit over the past couple of years. In the offseason, they added some proven veterans to their roster. This looks to be a sneaky good team that has every advantage against a worse team in this one.
Read our full Chicago Blackhawks vs Utah Hockey Club prediction
