Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions here at Last Word On Hockey, where we provide analysis, insights, and predictions for upcoming NHL games. Tonight, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers make their annual regular season stop in St. Louis to take on the struggling Blues.
NHL Predictions: Florida Panthers vs St. Louis Blues
Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
How to Watch TV: FDSNMW, SCRIPP
2025-2026 Season Series: Blues 1-0-0
Location: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Just over one month ago, the Blues travelled down to Florida for their first matchup with the Panthers. Surprising almost everyone in the hockey world, the Blues skated to a convincing 6-2 road win against the defending champions. A lot has changed for both squads in a short amount of time.
In the first meeting, the Panthers were without forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov and they skated in front of a goalie not named Sergei Bobrovsky. The Blues meanwhile, had contributions from forwards Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours, both of whom are likely to be out for the foreseeable future.
Both of these teams have been ravaged with injuries throughout this year. For Florida, it has made their title defence much more difficult than originally planned. For the Blues, it has caused many young players to be rushed into development faster than the team fell in the overall standing
Panthers Clawing Back
One of the many beautiful things about this league is the parity between teams. Each team is filled with talented players all the way down, making no game a guaranteed win. Unfortunately for Florida, that also means the defending champions must qualify for the postseason, just like everyone else.
Entering tonight, the Panthers currently sit six points from a Stanley Cup Playoff position. To put this in perspective, and no disrespect to the following teams, the defending cup champions are trailing the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres! With both wild card positions being occupied by other members of the Atlantic Division, every point is crucial for the Panthers at this point in the season.
One bright spot for Florida is they will have Tkachuk back in the lineup for this game. Matthew returns home, where dad and Blues alum Keith Tkachuk is usually in attendance. To add even more good news for the sunshine state cats, captain Aleksander Barkov has resumed skating in full gear. This signals to Panthers fans that their leader is set to return and guide them into the playoffs.
Injury Bug in St. Louis
While the Panthers get good news with players getting healthy, the injuries are starting to pile up for St. Louis. In another heartbreaking (and now fifth in a row) loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, forwards Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou left the game injured and did not return. They join forwards Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Oskar Sundqvist, and Pius Suter, who have all missed significant time this season.
These injuries unfortunately leave Blues general manager Doug Armstrong in a difficult position. At least two of the injured forwards for the Blues have been mentioned in swirling trade rumours as the inevitable deadline looms. While players dealing with injuries are allowed to be moved, the returns for them may be much less than a healthy, active NHL player. If Armstrong waits too long though, there may not be a return at all, leaving the Blues right back where they started.
It’s difficult to say what went wrong in St. Louis this year. A large percentage of players from last year’s resurgence began this year with the team. While it is probably safe to say no one saw the Blues as cup contenders this year, not many people would have had them near the bottom either. At one point, they thought they could maybe muddy up the middle and squeeze into the last wildcard spot. Now, it appears the race for the number one overall draft pick in June is in full swing.
NHL Predictions:
Once again, the Blues find themselves facing a team that is trending in a complete opposite direction. The Panthers are 6-4-0 in their last ten games. In their last five, forward Carter Verhaeghe has two goals and three assists. The Blues have an unfortunate record of 2-7-1 in their last ten, securing only one point in their last five. Offensively, Jordan Kyrou has led the way with three goals and an assist over the last five Blues defeats. If he is unable to go tonight against the Panthers, the Blues offence must come from somewhere else.
Prediction: Panthers win 4-1.
Prop Bets:
The over under for this game is set at 5.5 goals. With a predicted 4-1 Panthers win, we’ll take the under at -105. USA Hockey star Matthew Tkachuk loves playing back home. In 20 career games against the Blues, he has 28 points. We like him for a goal at +230. Blues rookie Dalibor Dvorsky is second in the league for rookie power play goals. With the injuries the Blues have had, had to play top line minutes. We’ll take him to score at +380.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry – Imagn Images
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