New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/13/26

The dog days of the 2025-26 NHL season are upon us, where some games have massive playoff implications, others have none at all, and the odd few have the perplexing draft lottery implications where both organizations would be better off losing the game. Still, the players don’t adhere to that belief, and the coaching and management staff subtly set their teams up for failure. We are facing that reality on Monday night with a couple of games, with one of the main ones being the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers matchup.

The Panthers already had one of those games this week when they went to Toronto in a must-lose game with a skeleton crew. If the Panthers had lost to the Maple Leafs in that game, their chances of landing a top-five pick would’ve risen substantially, but their two points put them up on the Leafs and closer to the 7-9 range. Of course, they could always win the draft lottery, but losing their final two games would certainly help things.

The New York Rangers, sitting in third-last in the league, are in a similar position. If they win this game, they’ll go to fourth-last by passing the Calgary Flames, and be in danger of also passing the Leafs before the season is over. It is in the best interests of both franchises to lose, but one team has a clear edge in this game.

All the Panthers injuries helped them tank the season, but the Rangers have been rolling out their usual lineup down the stretch. The Panthers went all-in on the tank against Toronto and still found a way to win, but I don’t think that happens twice in a row. The Rangers already beat the Panthers 3-1 late in March when both teams were in tank mode, and I think they do it again here on the road.

Rangers vs Panthers prediction: Rangers ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.