The NHL 2025-26 season will start on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. The opening day will feature a tripleheader of games broadcast on ESPN in the U.S. and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. The first game that day will have the Florida Panthers raising their second Stanley Cup championship banner before facing the Chicago Blackhawks at 5 p.m. ET. Two more games will follow: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers at 8 p.m. ET, and Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET. The regular season will conclude on April 16, 2026.