Puck Drops on 2025-26 NHL Season October 7 with Opening Night Tripleheader on ESPN

The 2025-26 NHL season begins on Tuesday, October 7, with an opening night tripleheader on ESPN featuring some of hockey’s top franchises and the banner-raising for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

The puck drops at 5 p.m. ET when the Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard take on the Stanley Cup champion Panthers with Matthew Tkachuk and 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Sam Bennett, who recently inked an eight-year contract extension. Prior to the game, Florida will raise its championship banner at Amerant Bank Arena commemorating the club’s 2024-25 Stanley Cup-winning season.

Continuing on ESPN at 8 p.m., Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against longtime former coach Mike Sullivan, now behind the bench for the New York Rangers, and star forward Artemi Panarin in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Following at 10:30 p.m., the Colorado Avalanche face the Los Angeles Kings and new teammates Corey Perry and Anton Forsberg in a Western Conference matchup at Crypto.com Arena.

ESPN’s full 2025-26 exclusive game schedule, commentator assignments and additional information will be announced at a later date.

This fall marks the launch of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service and enhanced app, which will give fans access to all NHL games across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN+ along with new features including multiview, enhanced personalization, integration of stats, betting and more.