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Florida (14-12-2) at Utah (14-14-3)
- When: Dec 10 2025, 9:00 PM
- Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- TV: Utah16
Florida vs Utah NHL Preview & Pick
Moneyline: Florida -115
Spread: Florida -1.5 (+225)
Total: 6.0
Florida Panthers: The Champs Remembered They’re the Champs
The Panthers just wrapped up a homestand that started like a hangover and ended like a victory parade. Florida lost the first three games like they misplaced their identity, dropped another in overtime, then suddenly woke up and said, “Oh wait, we win trophies now,” rattling off back-to-back wins over Columbus and the Islanders.
Carter Verhaeghe has been on a heater so hot it should require fire code approval. The man has four goals in his last three appearances since becoming a new father. Apparently, diaper duty fuels elite scoring. Someone tell the rest of the roster to start a family immediately.
Add in the return of Eetu Luostarinen, who somehow missed time due to a grilling accident — the most Florida injury ever recorded. With these two back, head coach Paul Maurice says his team finally looks like, well, the Florida Panthers instead of the Florida Puzzlements we saw earlier.
Florida is still without Barkov and Tkachuk, but winning without your two best forwards is the mark of a team that knows the assignment. And Wednesday’s game is manageable enough that Maurice can let backup Daniil Tarasov handle Utah while saving Bobrovsky for a looming showdown with Colorado.
If Tarasov stops pucks like he did on Sunday, Florida’s in business. If he doesn’t… good luck everyone.
Utah Mammoth: Bad Timing is an Art Form
Utah enters this one bruised, battered, and apparently cursed by the hockey gods. They just lost 4-2 to the Kings, but their real gut punch came earlier in the day when they announced that Logan Cooley — their leading goal scorer and main source of joy — is out indefinitely.
Coach Andre Tourigny gave the most honest coach quote of the year: “There’s no other Logan Cooley on our team.” Translation: We are in trouble.
Clayton Keller continues to carry the franchise like a man dragging a fridge uphill in the snow, stacking points in four of his last five games. But with Cooley down and the roster running on fumes, Utah’s offense is thinner than gas-station coffee.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka is coming off a solid performance, but facing Florida is different. His career record versus the Panthers looks like a horror movie: one win in seven tries and a goals against average that induces headaches.
Utah is competitive, but this matchup is a tall mountain… and unfortunately, the Mammoth left their climbing gear at home.
Betting Outlook and Prediction
Florida is playing its best hockey in weeks, rediscovering its scoring rhythm and defensive structure. Utah just lost its top scorer and is outmatched across the board.
The line makes sense. The matchup makes sense. And for Florida bettors, life finally makes sense.
Score Prediction: Panthers 4, Mammoth 2
Pick: Florida -1.5 (+225)
Total: Over 5.5 Alt Lines (-135)
- NHL Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
