We’re less than three months away from puck drop of the 2025-26 NHL season, and ESPN has set its opening night slate.
The Oct. 7 triple-header will feature the two-time reigning NHL champion Florida Panthers, as well as marquee matchups for superstars like Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Artemi Panarin. Starting at 5 p.m. ET, Florida hosts the Chicago Blackhawks. Then it’s the New York Rangers hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. The nightcap will see the Los Angeles Kings host the Colorado Avalanche.
Florida will host its banner-raising ceremony before the first game of the night, which will air on ESPN.
The NHL aims to rebound from a disappointing viewership number for its opening night in 2024. Last October, baseball and the WNBA postseason both beat out the NHL’s opening-night tripleheader. The NHL averaged fewer than 600,000 viewers across all three games. However, it appears the schedule should help quite a bit in that regard.
The Panthers, a true Eastern Time Zone team, will open the tripleheader. Last year, the first game was in St. Louis. A New York-Pittsburgh clash should be a suitable anchor for the primetime slot, while L.A. is always a smart bet for the late-night game.
From an ESPN standpoint, the announcement presents a bit of news. The network’s press release noted that all three games will be available on the company’s new standalone streaming service, which will also be called ESPN.
That means the service will launch by Oct. 7 at the latest. Previous reports suggested it will be up and ready by fall, ideally by the start of the NFL season and the first Monday Night Football on Sept. 8.
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