The Florida Panthers have lost three games in a row to fall to .500 on the season. Does that make the Panthers underdogs in their next game? Not in a matchup against the last-place club in the Western Conference. The 9-13-4 Nashville Predators visit the Panthers at 7 p.m. EST this Thursday night.

Nashville isn’t on a losing skid. In fact, the Predators have three victories in their last four games. But the visitors remain a porous and gap-laden unit on the backcheck, tied with Detroit in allowing the fourth-most goals in the National Hockey League so far this season with 93 opposing tallies. It isn’t a good sign that the aging Ryan O’Reilly leads younger snipers like Filip Forsberg on the Predators’ statistics sheet. Forsberg and Steven Stamkos have scored just 27 points together in 52 combined starts. 

Florida has a solid record against Nashville recently, an angle driving the 1-to-2 money line odds on the Panthers to beat the Predators. Then again, those types of trends are drawn out of Florida’s recent success, not from contests taking place this December, in which the champs look a little weak.

Panthers -1.5 (+133)Predators +1.5 (-150)Panthers -194Predators +186Over 5.5 (-127)Under 5.5 (+113)

Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 4, 2025, and may have changed since writing. 

Florida Panthers vs Nashville Predators Betting Trends The Florida Panthers have won just two of their last seven home games.The Panthers have beaten the Predators in four of the last five meetings.Five consecutive Nashville games have gone over their betting totals.Florida Panthers vs Nashville Predators Injury ReportsCenter Carter Verhaeghe is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.Center Eetu Luostarinen is out with burns from a cooking accident.Center Cole Schwindt is on injured reserve with an arm injury.Left winger Matthew Tkachuk is on injured reserve with a hamstring strain.Defenseman Nick Perbix is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.Defenseman Justin Barron remains day-to-day with an upper body injury.Left winger Zachary L’Heureux is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.Florida Panthers vs Nashville Predators Predictions and Picks

Florida’s success in the series with Nashville has sustained into 2025-26, presuming that Nov. 24’s 8-3 blowout for the Panthers wasn’t a fluke. It’s the last game that the Cats remember winning, but they did it with backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov in the net. It showed that Florida can ride on an alternate goalie to try to manage the struggles of Sergei Bobrovsky, whose save percentage is only .883. 

If an NHL winner needs to be solid up the middle, the Panthers aren’t making a good case for their pricey odds this Thursday. Three of Florida’s centermen are ailing with injuries, including a valuable playmaker in Carter Verhaeghe. Eetu Luostarinen suffered a brutish injury two weeks ago, when he was doused in flames by a barbecue grill, causing severe burns that will keep the 27-year-old forward scratched for now. Associated Press reports from ESPN quoted coach Paul Maurice calling it a “barbecuing mishap.” 

Five of Nashville’s games in a row have gone over their Las Vegas goal totals. Nashville’s bad defense could be the medicine Florida’s forwards need, but O’Reilly and the Predators are also likely to light Thursday’s lamp against the Panthers. Pick the over-total-goals for a probable winner in Sunrise.