NHL to open season with Blackhawks at champion Panthers

New York (AFP) – The two-time reigning National Hockey League champion Florida Panthers will host the Chicago Blackhawks on October 7 in the opening game of the 2025-2026 season, the league announced Monday. The Panthers, who defeated the Edmonton Oilers in six games in last month’s Stanley Cup final, will hoist a championship banner for the second consecutive year as they take the ice against Chicago.

There will be three games on the opening night of the NHL season, the second of them coming at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Rangers will play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidney Crosby, a three-time NHL champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, will lead the Penguins against New York, whose new coach Mike Sullivan makes his Rangers debut against a Pittsburgh team he coached for the past 10 seasons.

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The final game on opening night will have the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Los Angeles Kings. The full 2025-26 NHL regular-season schedule will be released on Wednesday.

© 2024 AFP