Blackhawks vs Panthers: Live Score, Streaming Info, TV Channel & Key Storylines for Tonight’s NHL Showdown

SUNRISE, Fla.—The 2025-26 NHL season drops the puck tonight with a marquee cross-conference clash as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Fast facts • Matchup: Chicago Blackhawks vs Florida Panthers • Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 • Puck drop: 5:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. CT • Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL • TV/Streaming: ESPN, ESPN+ Storylines to watch Connor Bedard enters his sophomore season shouldering the Blackhawks’ rebuild after a 76-point rookie campaign. Chicago reinforced its top line by signing veteran winger Tyler Bertuzzi, hoping to add grit and secondary scoring. Florida is chasing a historic three-peat despite opening night injuries to captain Aleksander Barkov (IR, knee), Matthew Tkachuk (IR, wrist) and Tomas Nosek (IR). Coach Paul Maurice will lean on Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and stalwart netminder Sergei Bobrovsky to maintain momentum until the stars return. Head-to-head trends • The Panthers swept last season’s two-game series by a combined 10-3 margin. • Chicago is 2-8-0 in its last 10 trips to Sunrise. • Florida finished 2024-25 with the NHL’s best home record (32-6-3). Projected starting goalies • Blackhawks: Petr Mrázek (2.89 GAA, .904 SV% in 2024-25) • Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky (2.27 GAA, .919 SV% in 2024-25) Keys to the game 1. Special teams: Florida’s power play clicked at 27.1 % last year; Chicago’s penalty kill ranked 29th. 2. Net-front presence: Without Barkov and Tkachuk, Florida must generate traffic to solve Mrázek. 3. Puck management: Chicago averaged 11.7 giveaways per game; turnovers against the Panthers’ aggressive forecheck quickly end up in the net. How to watch live Cable subscribers can tune to ESPN; cord-cutters can stream Blackhawks vs Panthers live on ESPN+ or Sling TV’s Orange package. Local radio broadcasts are WGN 720 AM (CHI) and WQAM 560 AM (FLA). Betting odds (ESPN BET) • Panthers −290 moneyline • Blackhawks +240 moneyline • Total goals O/U 5.5 In-game updates, live score and post-game highlights will be available on ESPN.com and the NHL app immediately after the final horn. Search “Blackhawks vs Panthers live score” for real-time stats and video clips throughout the night to stay ahead of the action.