Florida Panthers vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/08/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 8, 2026

Venue:  Centre Bell, Montréal, QC

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Panthers -142, Canadiens +120; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Panthers -140, Canadiens +120; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Panthers -140, Canadiens +120; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Florida Panthers:  22-17-3 (5th place, Atlantic Division)

Montreal Canadiens:  23-13-6 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

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Florida Panthers:  5-4-1 last 10

Montreal Canadiens:  6-2-2 last 10

The Panthers are entering this game with 47 points, a 22-17-3 record overall, and they are 8-8-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-1. Carter Verhaeghe scored 1 goal for them in that one and it was unassisted. Jared Spurgeon, Evan Rodrigues led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 22 shots with 19 saves and a .864 save percentage. Their offense has scored 130 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 134 goals against them allowing 3.2 goals per game.

The Canadiens are entering this game with 52 points, a 23-13-6 record overall, and they are 13-4-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Dallas Stars in their last game, winning that one on the road 4-3 in overtime, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Calgary Flames still to be played on Wednesday night. In their game against the Stars, Juraj Slafkovský, Lane Hutson, Brendan Gallagher, and Oliver Kapanen each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Phillip Danault led the team in assists with 2 while Juraj Slafkovský and Brendan Gallagher each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Sam Montembeault was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 27 shots with 24 saves and a .889 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 141 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 141 goals against them allowing 3.4 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Panthers haven't looked great in their games this season with their 22-17-1 record overall which has them in the bottom half of their division in the East. They haven't been a great road team either with their 8-8-0 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with their 23-13-6 record overall which has them right in the top half of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 13-4-5 home record this season. The Canadiens are off a 4-3 win over the Stars in their last one and they have been rolling in their games lately, going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, As good as they have looked lately, they are still facing the defending champions here, and the Canadiens aren't in a great situation either. They are playing this game on a back-to-back while the Panthers are going to be rested and looking to bounce back after losing their last one. They are off a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in their last one and haven't looked great lately, but they are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and they are still right in the thick of the playoff race in the East. They have looked a lot better over the last 2 weeks after having a terrible start to the season, and they are starting to play better at the right time as they look to climb the standings. The Canadiens have been hot lately, but they are due to cool off after that great road trip, and the Panthers can take advantage of them in a bad situation here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game. 

Panthers Canadiens Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, January 8, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 3 Canadiens 2.

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Florida Panthers: 68-53 (-9.2 units) on the moneyline after playing a road game. 41-34 (-6.2 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 73-45 (-7.7 units) on the moneyline against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game. 66-48 UNDER against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game.

Montreal Canadiens: 59-73 (+8.6 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 57-49 (+19.3 units) on the moneyline against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game. 20-25 (+7.8 units) on the moneyline against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp. 26-18 UNDER against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp.

Florida Panthers:  B. Marchand (C) Day To Day - Undisclosed. S. Jones (D) Out - Upper Body. C. Schwindt (RW) Out - Arm. J. Gadjovich (LW) Out - Upper Body. D. Kulikov (D) Out - Upper Body. A. Barkov (C) Out - Knee. T. Nosek (LW) Out - Knee. M. Tkachuk (LW) Day To Day - Groin.

Montreal Canadiens:  J. Anderson (RW) Day To Day - Upper Body. J. Evans (C) Out - Lower Body. K. Dach (C) Out - Foot. K. Guhle (D) Out - Groin. A. Newhook (C) Out - Ankle. P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen.

“We started slow and found a way to get slower, and then when you’re down three at that point, the risk profiles of both teams change. I didn’t like our game tonight at all.” - Paul Maurice after his team’s loss against the Maple Leafs in their game on Tuesday.

“I feel you’re always trying to play to your standards. You’ve got to be careful in comparing yourself to all the other teams, but when you get an opportunity like this, you want to see how you stack up. We feel we have the brand right now and a group that can compete with anybody. That doesn’t guarantee the result, but I feel all season we’ve put ourselves in a pretty good spot. We’ve proven that we can compete and we’re just trying to maximize the result when we can, and I thought we did that tonight.” - Martin St Louis after his team’s win against the Stars in their game on Sunday.

LW Eetu Luostarinen

C Anton Lundell

RW Sam Reinhart

LD Gustav Forsling

RD Aaron Ekblad

G Sergei Bobrovsky

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Alexandre Texier

LD Mike Matheson

RD Noah Dobson

G Jacob Fowler

Points: Brad Marchand (46)

Goals: Brad Marchand (23)

Assists: Brad Marchand (23)

GAA: Daniil Tarasov (2.81)

Points: Nick Suzuki (46)

Goals: Cole Caufield (20)

Assists: Lane Hutson (35)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.57)

Coaches:

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (4th season)

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)