- This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Florida (3-4-0) at Boston (3-4-0)
- When: Oct 21 2025, 7:30 PM
- Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA, USA
- TV: ESPN
Florida vs Boston NHL Preview & Pick
Moneyline: Florida -155
Spread: Florida -1.5 (+168)
Total: 5.5
Florida Panthers – The Cats Come to Town
The Panthers are limping into TD Garden like a pack of cats who forgot how to pounce. They’ve dropped four straight and managed to score about as often as a goldfish wins a spelling bee. Still, Florida has too much talent to stay down for long, even if half their roster is currently wrapped in ice packs.
Brad Marchand, the man Bruins fans once called “their captain” (and occasionally “the rat”), is making his glorious and awkward return to Boston, now wearing the enemy’s colors. Expect the Garden crowd to go through all five stages of grief in five minutes: shock, denial, rage, booing, and mild applause when he inevitably takes a penalty.
Florida desperately needs a spark. Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov are still sidelined, leaving the offense flatter than a warm can of seltzer. Sergei Bobrovsky, meanwhile, has been left hanging like a goalie waiting for help that never comes. Coach Paul Maurice insists the team just needs to “get heavier on the net,” which sounds more like a gym membership ad than a hockey strategy. Still, if anyone can feed off chaos, it’s this group.
Boston Bruins – Marchand’s Ex-Files
The Bruins, too, are stuck in neutral after a rough road trip that featured more penalties than goals and more missed shots than a stormtrooper convention. Marco Sturm’s new-look Bruins are still figuring things out, namely, how to score more than twice per game.
Boston’s offense lately has been so quiet you can hear the Zamboni sigh. Even David Pastrnak’s one-timers seem to be missing the swagger they had last season. And let’s not forget, their power play has been about as powerful as a broken toaster. On the bright side, Jeremy Swayman has kept them competitive, even if the defense occasionally treats opponents like honored guests invited right into the slot.
Expect Sturm to keep shuffling lines faster than a blackjack dealer in Vegas. The message is clear: play hard, or enjoy your view from the press box.
Prediction – Marchand’s Homecoming Comedy
It’s going to be emotional, weird, and absolutely entertaining. Marchand might stir the pot, the crowd will let him have it, and someone will inevitably take a dumb penalty at the worst possible moment.
Florida’s offense should finally wake up just enough to outlast a still-retooling Bruins squad. Expect a scrappy, low-scoring grinder of a game with Marchand right in the middle of it, as usual.
Score Prediction: Panthers 3, Bruins 2
Pick: Florida (-155)
Total: Under 5.5 (-108)
- NHL Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
