NHL schedule release 2025-26: Date, time, known matchups and how to watch

While it may be the dead of summer, there's still a lot of offseason action happening in the NHL. Now nearly a month since the Florida Panthers lifted their second consecutive Stanley Cup, the league has been bristling with activity.

The 2025 NHL Draft saw 224 players selected across seven rounds with star defenseman Matthew Schaefer going first overall to the New York Islanders. Additionally, free agency opened on July 1 and several big names made their decisions on where they wanted to play next.

Among them were forwards Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and defenseman Aaron Ekblad who all chose to re-sign with the Panthers and run it back for a shot at a three-peat next season. Winger Nicolaj Ehlers took three days to make up his mind, eventually settling on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now the next step will be revealing when each of the 32 teams will face off against one another for the 2025-26 regular season.

2025-26 NHL regular season schedule release date and time

The NHL will reveal the schedules for every team on Wednesday, July 16, at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Additionally, there will be a live, one-hour special at that time on NHL Network covering the schedule release. Also, there will be another show at 6:00 p.m. ET breaking down the schedule.

NHL Opening Night 2025 matchups revealed

At the time of their announcement of the schedule release, the NHL also announced the three matchups for Opening Night for the 2025-26 season, set for Tuesday, Oct. 7. The matchups are as follows:

• Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers, 5:00 p.m. ET
• Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 8:00 p.m. ET
• Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET

The Florida Panthers will host the very first game of the new season, where they hoist their second Stanley Cup championship banner after defeating the Edmonton Oilers for the second season in a row. They will host the Chicago Blackhawks and former No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. That game will start around 5:00 p.m. ET.

Then, at 8:00 p.m. ET, the next chapter of the New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry begins. The Penguins will head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers, led by new coach and former Pittsburgh bench boss Mike Sullivan. Will the Rangers get the first victory of the Sullivan era? Or will the Penguins play spoiler?

The final matchup on the Opening Night schedule will be the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Los Angeles Kings. Both teams were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs last season. Which team will start their season off with a victory?

Other confirmed games on the 2025-26 NHL schedule

Besides Opening Night, there are already four regular season games with set dates that you can circle on your calendars.

The 2026 Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will be Jan. 2 at Loan Depot Park in Miami. It's the first time the Winter Classic will grace the Sunshine State and the first time the Panthers will get to participate. The Rangers have played in two prior occasions and won both (2012, 2018).

Next up, the league's Stadium Series on Feb. 1 will keep things in Florida with a battle between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It's the first time either have played in the NHL Stadium Series since its inception in 2014 but it'll be the fifth outdoor game for the Bruins who have participated in four Winter Classics. The Lightning will be making their outdoor debut.

But before all that, the league will play a two-game series in Stockholm, Sweden on Nov. 14 and 16 with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins representing in the annual NHL Global Series. This will mark the first time Sidney Crosby will have touched the ice in an NHL capacity since 2008. It will also be a homecoming for Swedish stars Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and Filip Forsberg.