The NHL has released the schedule for the 2025-26 season and every fan has combed their favorite team’s slate for must-see games. Likewise, we have gone through the slate to find the most highly anticipated matchups.
The 2025-26 campaign opens on Oct. 7 as the Florida Panthers raise another Stanley Cup banner against the Chicago Blackhawks in a game scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET, the first game of a back-to-back-to-back tripleheader. (Spoiler alert: That one did not make the most highly anticipated list.)
2025-26 NHL schedule release: Panthers to raise Stanley Cup banner vs. Blackhawks on opening night
Chris Bengel
There will be emotional homecomings of different kinds (see: Mitch Marner and Brad Marchand). Alex Ovechkin will be hunting his 900th goal very early in the season. The NHL is taking it outside in Florida, twice actually.
All hockey is beautiful in some way, but there’s no question everyone is looking forward to certain games more than others. There are probably some that we can all agree will be appointment viewing.
We tried to identify those matchups and more in our top 10 most highly anticipated NHL games of 2025-26.
Projecting what might happen at the end of the NHL season in mid-July is a fool’s errand. As one of those fools, I feel comfortable forecasting that this game on the final day of the regular season will be for the last playoff spot in the West. Both of these teams are very interesting, and if this does decide the playoff fate of both sides, my eyes will be glued to the screen.
Speaking of projecting, there is a very real chance that Ovechkin will be looking to become the NHL’s first 900-goal scorer on Halloween night. The fact that he would have the opportunity to break Wayne Gretzky’s record and hit No. 900 against the Islanders again is just a funny quirk.
8. Stars at Jets (Oct. 9)
Jonathan Toews hasn’t played a game since April 13, 2023. That will change on this night when he takes the ice for his hometown Jets. After battling illness for the last two years, Toews will make an NHL comeback and it will be very interesting to see what the 37-year-old three-time Stanley Cup champion looks like in his Winnipeg debut.
One day after the NHL’s Opening Night, the Canadiens have the chance to go into Toronto and make a statement. Montreal was one of the league’s best stories last season, and now it’s looking to prove that wasn’t a fluke. The Leafs, on the other hand, will be trying to find an identity in a new era.
6. Stars at Avalanche (Oct. 11)
Just a few days into the new season, the Avalanche will see Mikko Rantanen for the first time since he built their coffin, hammered it shut and threw dirt on their heads in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs. I plan to watch every game between these rivals in 2025-26, but the first one should be a lot of fun, especially considering it’s in Denver.
5. Oilers at Panthers (Nov. 22)
Yes, we have seen this matchup 13 times in the playoffs over the last two seasons. And, no, I am not tired of it. This championship rematch will be played five days before Thanksgiving, and it will be a feast for all hockey fans. I mean, if recent history has taught us anything, this will be a Stanley Cup Final preview.
This will not be the first outdoor NHL game in Florida, but it will be the first one played in a stadium featuring a pirate ship with a semi-functional cannon. That counts for a lot in my book. The Lightning get the chance to host their first outdoor game, and it’s well-deserved considering they kicked off the state of Florida’s run of hockey dominance.
3. Rangers at Panthers (Jan. 2)
This will be the first time the NHL has taken it outdoors in Florida. The 2026 NHL Winter Classic will be played at LoanDepot Park in Miami, and the defending Stanley Cup champions will take it outside for the first time in franchise history. The Winter Classic has gotten stale for some, but the new locale and the quality of the home team should provide a breath of fresh air. If only they could set up a rink outside the Elbo Room.
2. Panthers at Bruins (Oct. 21)
After leaving the Bruins via trade and winning a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, Brad Marchand will make his triumphant return to Boston. Marchand is a Bruins franchise legend, so this should be an emotional scene at TD Garden. This will be one of the best early-season atmospheres we get.
The last time Mitch Marner was in Toronto, he was booed off the ice by his own fans as the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs. Now a member of the Golden Knights, it will be very interesting to see what kind of reception he gets at Scotiabank Arena. Regardless of how he’s received, Marner can show the Maple Leafs what they’re missing.
