NHL On Tap: Panthers begin Cup defense to launch ESPN tripleheader

The Penguins’ last stand?

When the Penguins take the ice against the Rangers, it will mark the 20th season together for Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin, the highest-scoring trio with a single team in NHL history with 3,703 regular-season points. Letang is signed for three more seasons and Crosby the next two, but Malkin, a 39-year-old forward, enters his final season under contract.

Landeskog has landed

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned for Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars on April 23, his first game since helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup on June 26, 2022, because of a knee injury. The forward played five games before Colorado lost the series in seven and is set for his first regular-season game since March 10, 2022, against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).

Kopitar’s final season

Anze Kopitar, one of the best players in Kings history, will play his final season after announcing his intention to retire at the conclusion of 2025-26. It’s the 20th NHL season for Kopitar, the Kings captain since June 16, 2016, who helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014. He’s played 1,454 games, all for the Kings, with 1,278 points (440 goals, 838 assists), and has won the Selke Trophy twice (2016, ’18) and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times (2016, ’23, ’25). He had 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 81 games last season.

The schedule

Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers, 5 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS

Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS


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