ESPN’s NHL studio show, “The Point,” will premiere Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, ahead of ESPN’s season-opening tripleheader, and will be presented weekly this fall on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The ESPN Opening Night Tripleheader begins at 5 p.m. ET when Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Panthers, who will raise their championship banner at Amerant Bank Arena.
At 8 p.m., Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against former coach Mike Sullivan, now the coach of the Rangers, in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Madison Square Garden. It concludes at 10:30 p.m., with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche facing Quinton Byfield, Corey Perry and the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.
The TNT doubleheader the next night will see Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, and the Washington Capitals hosting David Pastrnak and the Bruins at Capital One Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET. Then at 10 p.m., Mitch Marner will make his Vegas Golden Knights debut against the Kings at T-Mobile Arena.
Other highlights of the national schedule include:
• Connor McDavid, the No. 1 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, and the Edmonton Oilers taking on the New York Islanders, who selected Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NHL Draft, on Oct. 16 (ESPN+/Hulu).
• Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand making his return to TD Garden in Boston with the Panthers on Oct. 21 (ESPN).
• The 2025-26 season will mark the centennial for the Blackhawks and Rangers, and the two will go head-to-head Dec. 10 for an epic matchup of two storied Original Six franchises (TNT).
• Two days before Christmas, TNT will present a blockbuster tripleheader Dec. 23, starting at 4 p.m. ET with the Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs, then the Dallas Stars at Detroit Red Wings and concluding with the Philadelphia Flyers at the Blackhawks.
• Following the break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, NHL action returns with an ESPN doubleheader Feb. 26 featuring the Flyers and Rangers, followed by the Oilers and Kings in a rematch of the 2025 Western Conference First Round.
• The NHL on TNT concludes the regular season April 15 at 7 p.m. ET with a Red Wings vs. Panthers matchup, when Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane of Detroit face off against the reigning champions in South Florida.
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