The eighteenth edition of ‘Round the Sports World in five minutes’ talks you through the start of the 2025-26 NHL season and the Republic of Ireland’s visit to Portugal in a World Cup Qualifier on Saturday.
2025-26 NHL Season
- Start: 7 October
- Venue: Played throughout the USA and Canada
- Coverage: Premier Sports
- Fun Fact: Just five teams have done a three-peat in the history of the NHL: the Toronto Maple Leafs (1947-9), the Montreal Canadians (1956-60), the Maple Leafs again (1962-1964), the Canadiens again (1976-1979) and the New York Islanders, who did it between 1980 and 1983. The Florida Panthers can join them on that list this season, having won the last two Stanley Cups.
Betting
As is the case with the leading competition in most major US sports, the NHL is an extremely hard one to win, thanks to a gruelling schedule and the draft system that rewards the teams that finished poorly the previous season.
So, it’s no surprise that it’s so tight in terms of the betting.
Bet365 have the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers as 8.5 joint-favourites to win the Stanley Cup, followed by a trio of teams at 10.0: the Colorado Avalanche, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Dallas Stars.
Despite what we said about the NHL and, more precisely, the Stanley Cup being such a difficult competition to win, there’s an almost unheard-of chance of a three-peat on the cards if the Florida Panthers were to win it this year. So, it’s somewhat surprising that a team that has enjoyed so much success over the past few seasons is available at odds of 11.0.
But there’s a very good reason for that. Their captain and centre, the Finnish international Aleksander Barkov, is recovering from surgery, as is Matthew Tkachuk. Both are expected to miss most of the season, so you can see why the bookies are happy to lay the Panthers at bigger odds than you would have expected.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the same price as the Panthers, with the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs next in the betting at 13.0.
William Hill have odds on which division will go on to win the Stanley Cup. They go: Central (3.5), Atlanta (3.75), Pacific (3.75) and Metropolitan (4.0).
Summary
The season kicks off on Tuesday, 7 October. You won’t have long to wait to see those Panthers in action because they’re the first ones to play. They’re facing the Chicago Blackhawks in a match the Panthers are hot favourites to win, even with the absence of those two star players. It starts at 22:00 UK time.
The following evening, it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins up against the New York Rangers, followed by the Colorado Avalanche against the Los Angeles Kings.
Looking at the season as a whole, at one end of the scale, there are some young players who could go a long way to becoming big NHL stars in this campaign.
Canadian 22-year-old Logan Stankoven of the Carolina Hurricanes is getting better and better by the year. Having been traded by the Dallas Stars at the end of last season, will now have a chance to impress at his new team. If he starts to fulfil his potential this year, it’s very much on the cards that he could come close to contributing over 80 points by the time the season is over.
Then there’s Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, also just 22, who is quickly becoming one of the best defensemen in the league at the Devils. Not only are his skills on the ice drawing attention, but so is his physique: at 1.88m and weighing in at 90 kilos, he’s not the sort of player many opposition attackers will look forward to facing.
If those two are at the start of their careers, the same can’t be said for the likes of Anže Kopitar and Sydney Crosby. Slovenian Kopitar will be playing what is likely to be his last NHL season as an ice hockey pro at the Los Angeles Kings but at 38 he’s still got it and isn’t playing as some sort of farewell tour, or to make up the numbers; with almost 1500 games under his belt in a career that started back in 2002 and with just under 1300 points to his name, this is a man who means business.
As for Sidney Crosby, he’s another who is likely to retire at the end of the season, but the 38-year-old Canadian is desperate for one last shot at the Playoffs, or better, with the team he’s been representing since 2005: the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bet365 make it 1.91 that he scores over 30.5 points this season, the same price as what’s on offer for him to go under 30.5 points for the season.
Portugal - Republic of Ireland World Cup Qualifier
- Start: 11 October at 19:45
- Venue: Estadio de Alvalade, Lisbon
- Live Coverage: Prime Video UK
- Fun Fact: When Ronaldo broke the men’s international goals record back in 2021, that was courtesy of two late goals against the Republic of Ireland. The Irish were on course for a famous win in Faro before CR7 pounced twice. He hasn’t stopped scoring since.
Betting
Portugal are usurpingly the red-hot favourites to win this match at 1.18 with Betfred, who are also predicting a high-scoring affair with over 2.5 goals on offer at just 1.53, with over 3.5 goals a 2.38 chance. But they’re not necessarily thinking Ireland will get on the scoresheet, with both teams to score chalked up at 2.25.
It’s also just 1.62 that Portugal are leading at half-time and winning at full-time, so you can see that Betfred, and the other bookmakers, really don’t expect anything other than a comfortable Portugal win.
Summary
Portugal are being shown respect by the bookies, with Bwin making them the sixth-favourites to go and win the 2026 World Cup at 12.0. Spain is the 5.0 favourites.
Portugal have an excellent chance at next year’s competition. They are, after all, the only side to have won the Nations League twice. Let’s also not forget they won Euro 2016.
Their qualification campaign can’t have started any better, with a 5-0 win away in Armenia followed by a hard-fought 3-2 win over Hungary.
Those two matches yielded a further three goals for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now on a barely believable 141 international goals, the most by any male player in history. The in-form Vitinha of PSG is another to keep an eye on, while Milan’s Rafael Leao returns to the squad after injury.
If Roberto Martinez’s big problem is who to leave out, the same can’t be said of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, who really doesn’t have a huge amount of quality to play around with. The proof is in the pudding because they drew 2-2 with Hungary at home, before being beaten 2-1 by Armenia away. They have a real mountain to climb if they’re to make the World Cup from this position.
Betting Tip of the Week: Portugal to Win or Draw
In the past, Portugal were seen as a talented team going forward but who weren’t always the best at the back. That’s all changed of late, and recently they’ve been as solid as anyone in defence.
Add to the equation that Ireland don’t have too many players in attacking positions who can trouble Portugal’s back four, and a win to nil for Ronaldo and co looks to be on the cards.
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