Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 22 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks: game preview

Puck drop25 Oct · 3:00 PM ET
VenueUnited Center
All-time meetings60 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twelve points apart last season

Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 points. Chicago finished 31st on 72.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 61

Across 60 completed games, Chicago lead the head-to-head 32-21-7.

All-time record32-21-7Chicago's record in the series
Meetings played60This is number 61
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Florida
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
25 Jan 2026FLA 5 – CHI 1——FLA
7 Oct 2025CHI 2 – FLA 3——FLA
1 Feb 2025CHI 1 – FLA 5——FLA
21 Nov 2024FLA 1 – CHI 3——CHI
12 Nov 2023CHI 3 – FLA 4——FLA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateFloridaChicago
7 Oct 20251-0-0 · 2 pts3rd0-1-0 · 0 pts30th
25 Jan 202628-20-3 · 59 pts13th21-23-8 · 50 pts27th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 7 Oct 2025, Florida were 3rd in the league and Chicago 30th. By 25 Jan 2026 it was 13th and 27th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Chicago 116 to 89

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Florida Panthers

116 att · 62 on goal · 8 G · 12.9%
Crease7 att · 1 G
Slot51 att · 5 G
Wing43 att · 1 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 1 G

Chicago Blackhawks

89 att · 41 on goal · 3 G · 7.3%
Crease6 att · 0 G
Slot24 att · 2 G
Wing36 att · 1 G
Point22 att · 0 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Florida have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

FloridaChicago
3.01xG for per game2.41
2.34xG against per game3.83
56.3%xG share38.7%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.7
+1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.7

This season: 4 games for Florida, 4 for Chicago. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Florida

Small sample
Power play · 2026-274.3%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229
Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Chicago

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2711.1%
Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%
Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235
Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Matthew Tkachuk42130.75
20Lars Eller40330.75
9Sam Bennett40330.75
16Anton Frondell41341.00
59Tyler Bertuzzi41120.50
91Frank Nazar41120.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
3Seth Jones41010.25
42Gustav Forsling31010.33
72Alex Vlasic40220.50
6Sam Rinzel31010.33
44Wyatt Kaiser40110.25
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 22 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 23 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Oct

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2
Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Chicago in the last meetings.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Oct

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5
Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

25 Jan 20266 · FLA 5–1 CHI
7 Oct 20255 · CHI 2–3 FLA
1 Feb 20256 · CHI 1–5 FLA
21 Nov 20244 · FLA 1–3 CHI
12 Nov 20237 · CHI 3–4 FLA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Florida2.002.003.063.37
Chicago2.254.252.603.35

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct
Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov
Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct
Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov
Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct
3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

Injury report
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
Full draft
#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD
#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW
#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D
#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD
Full draft

Updated after every final