Just about the only people you’ll hear regularly saying “The summer is finally over!” are fans of NHL hockey. With the cooler temperatures comes the return of one of America’s favorite cold weather sports, ice hockey!
The National Hockey League (NHL) is back for the 2025-2026 season, and the first puck drop is set for Oct. 7, 2025, when the Chicago Blackhawks and the defending champion Florida Panthers meet at center ice. That matchup will be followed by two more games, the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche vs. the Los Angeles Kings, as part of an opening day triple-header on ESPN.
The 2025-26 NHL season will run from October until late June, when the Stanley Cup Final will be decided. To make sure you’re ready for the action, we put this guide to the 2025-26 season together so that you know how, when and where to watch NHL games every day.
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How To Watch NHL Games in 2025
NHL games during the 2025-26 season will be broadcast across a variety of channels and networks.
Nationally televised games will be shown on ESPN, ABC and TNT. For local, in-market games, you’ll need to find out which regional sports network (RSN) your favorite team’s games air on. Out-of-market fans can watch on NHL Center Ice or ESPN Select, though the NHL Network will occasionally broadcast select regional games that won’t be available on those platforms.
Find out more about each way to watch NHL hockey in 2025-26 below:
- REGIONAL SPORTS LINEUP (only available in some areas)
- TNT – Ch. 245
- ESPN – Ch. 206
- ABC –Check local listings
- NHL Network – Ch. 215
- NHL® CENTER ICE®
Discover even more NHL coverage and keep your fandom on ice.
2025-26 NHL Schedule
Find your favorite NHL team’s schedule, scores from live games and more right here.
Key Dates in the 2025-26 NHL Season
Every NHL season has certain games or events on the schedule that no fan wants to miss. Last season, the big focus was on Alex Ovechkin’s “GR8 Chase,” which saw him break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring record on April 6, 2025. The other was the 4 Nations Face Off, the NHL’s first ever and wildly successful international hockey tournament between the league’s best players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden, but we won’t enjoy a repeat this season.
Speaking of Alex Ovechkin, his opening game of the 2025-26 season will be on Oct. 8, 2025 against the Boston Bruins.
Here are the key dates to watch out for during the 2025-26 NHL season:
NHL Hall of Fame Game
Date: Nov. 8, 2025
The Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs will meet in the Hall of Fame game. The Bruins have two former players being inducted: Joe Thornton and Zdeno Chara.
NHL Global Series
Dates: Nov. 14 and 16, 2025
The NHL Global Series will travel to Sweden, one of the world’s most die-hard hockey nations, for two international games between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm.
2025 Stanley Cup Final Rematch
Date: Nov. 22, 2025
The defending champs, the Florida Panthers, will take on the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, which was itself a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final! Look for some hot temperatures and bad blood in this bout, for sure.
NHL Thanksgiving Showdown
Date: Nov. 28, 2025
Two of the Original Six teams, the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers, will go head-to-head in a Turkey Day rivalry match.
2025-26 NHL Winter Classic
Date: Jan 2, 2026
The annual Winter Classic outdoor game will feature the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
2025-26 NHL Stadium Series
Date: Feb. 1, 2026
The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning will face off in the second major outdoor game of the season at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Olympic Break
Date: Feb 6 – Feb. 24, 2026
The season will be temporarily put on hold to accommodate the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
Which NHL Players Will Be in the 2026 Olympics?
The NHL is one of the world’s premier professional ice hockey leagues, so it’s no surprise that many of the most recognized names on the ice will be representing their home countries in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Here’s a look at some of the NHLers who will be making the trip to Milan and Cortina in February:
- Rodrigo Abols – Forward, Philadelphia Flyers (Latvia)
- Sebastian Aho – Forward, Carolina Hurricanes (Finland)
- Frederik Andersen – Goaltender, Carolina Hurricanes (Denmark)
- Aleksander Barkov – Forward, Florida Panthers (Finland)
- Uvis Balinskis – Defenseman, Florida Panthers (Latvia)
- Oliver Bjorkstrand – Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning (Denmark)
- Teddy Blueger – Forward, Vancouver Canucks (Latvia)
- Sidney Crosby – Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins (Canada)
- Rasmus Dahlin – Defenseman, Buffalo Sabres (Sweden)
- Leon Draisaitl – Forward, Edmonton Oilers (Germany)
- Lars Eller – Forward, Washington Capitals (Denmark)
- Nikolaj Ehlers – Forward, Winnipeg Jets (Denmark)
- Jack Eichel – Center, Vegas Golden Knights (United States)
- Martin Fehervary – Defenseman, Washington Capitals (Slovakia)
- Kevin Fiala – Forward, Los Angeles Kings (Switzerland)
- Zemgus Girgensons – Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning (Latvia)
- Radko Gudas – Defenseman, Anaheim Ducks (Czechia)
- Philipp Grubauer – Goaltender, Seattle Kraken (Germany)
- Victor Hedman – Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning (Sweden)
- Miro Heiskanen – Defenseman, Dallas Stars (Finland)
- Nico Hischier – Forward, New Jersey Devils (Switzerland)
- Quinn Hughes – Defenseman, Vancouver Canucks (United States)
- Roman Josi – Defenseman, Nashville Predators (Switzerland)
- Adrian Kempe – Forward, Los Angeles Kings (Sweden)
- Gabriel Landeskog – Forward, Colorado Avalanche (Sweden)
- Esa Lindell – Defenseman, Dallas Stars (Finland)
- Connor McDavid – Forward, Edmonton Oilers (Canada)
- Charlie McAvoy – Defenseman, Boston Bruins (United States)
- Nathan MacKinnon – Forward, Colorado Avalanche (Canada)
- Cale Makar – Defenseman, Colorado Avalanche (Canada)
- Elvis Merzlikins – Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets (Latvia)
- Timo Meier – Forward, New Jersey Devils (Switzerland)
- Lukas Dostal – Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks (Czechia)
- Juuse Saros – Goaltender, Nashville Predators (Finland)
- Nico Sturm – Forward, Florida Panthers (Germany)
- Juraj Slafkovsky – Forward, Montreal Canadiens (Slovakia)
- Arturs Silovs – Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks (Latvia)
- Jonas Siegenthaler – Defenseman, New Jersey Devils (Switzerland)
- Tim Stützle – Forward, Ottawa Senators (Germany)
- Martin Necas – Forward, Colorado Avalanche (Czechia)
- Simon Nemec – Defenseman, New Jersey Devils (Slovakia)
- Nino Niederreiter – Forward, Winnipeg Jets (Switzerland)
- William Nylander – Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs (Sweden)
- Ondrej Palat – Forward, New Jersey Devils (Czechia)
- David Pastrnak – Forward, Boston Bruins (Czechia)
- Brayden Point – Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning (Canada)
- Mikko Rantanen – Forward, Dallas Stars (Finland)
- Sam Reinhart – Forward, Florida Panthers (Canada)
- Lukas Reichel – Forward, Chicago Blackhawks (Germany)
- Lucas Raymond – Forward, Detroit Red Wings (Sweden)
- Jonas Rondbjerg – Forward, Vegas Golden Knights (Denmark)
- Moritz Seider – Defenseman, Detroit Red Wings (Germany)
- Matthew Tkachuk – Forward, Florida Panthers (United States)
- Brady Tkachuk – Forward, Ottawa Senators (United States)
Major Off-Season Signings Playing Former Teams
Here are some of the dates where high-profile players who moved to new teams over the offseason will play their former teams for the first time:
- Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets vs. the Chicago Blackhawks: Jan 19, 2025
- Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs: Jan 23., 2025
- Nikolaj Ehlers and the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the Winnipeg Jets: Nov. 21, 2025
- Noah Dobson and the Montreal Canadiens vs. the New York Islanders: April 12, 2026
NHL Teams
There are 32 teams split into divisions within the Eastern and Western Conference. Explore the full team list below, which includes schedules, scores, roster and more.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
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