We’re less than a week away from the opening night of the 2025-26 NHL season.
The latest: The first night of action sees the back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers host the youthful Chicago Blackhawks as part of a three-game slate. A night later, four Canadian teams play, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens adding another chapter to their historic rivalry.
Check out the NHL schedule and betting odds for the first week of the season, beginning Oct. 7.
NHL schedule: Opening night notes
- The defending champs get a lay-up on opening night. Chicago had the fewest points in the Central Division last season and still looks to be in the preliminary stages of a rebuild. Connor Bedard was stagnant in Year 2 but still carries the potential to be a top-five player in the NHL one day.
- Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers are looking for big bounce-back seasons after missing the playoffs in 2024-25. Pittsburgh will want better results while Sidney Crosby is still around, and New York has the seventh-highest cap hit in the NHL. Neither squad can afford another lost season.
- A pair of first-round exits headline the first night of action. The Colorado Avalanche haven’t won the Central Division since 2022-23, leading to some tough playoff matchups. The Los Angeles Kings overachieved last year but were bounced by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round after finishing second in the Pacific.
Bet on the first week of the NHL season
NHL opening night matchups: Oct. 7
Click on game odds below to bet.
Blackhawks vs. Panthers
Penguins vs. Rangers
Avalanche vs. Kings
NHL schedule and betting notes: Oct. 8
It’s another light slate on Wednesday, with four games on tap. Two of them are all-Canadian matchups.
The Leafs and Canadiens will open their season against one another for the sixth consecutive year. Each contest has been settled by one goal, with Toronto winning three of the five games.
But it was the Canadiens who won last season’s opener, 1-0, behind a stellar 48 saves from Sam Montembeault.
Not to be outdone, we’re also treated to the Battle of Alberta, as the Cup finalist Oilers host the Calgary Flames.
Edmonton has started the past two seasons with a loss, but it’s all or nothing in Connor McDavid’s final year under contract, and the Oilers will be looking to begin with a better result.
Bet on McDavid to win the Hart Trophy
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs
Flames vs. Oilers
Opening week NHL matchups
The NHL campaign kicks into high gear on Thursday, with 14 games scheduled before a one-day pause in play ahead of the first Saturday of the season.
Saturday is loaded. All 32 teams are playing and the action starts at 1:30 p.m. ET, running through the night.
Three games are scheduled for 10 p.m., including the one all-Canadian matchup of the day (Vancouver Canucks vs. Oilers).
Earlier in the night, Toronto visits the Detroit Red Wings for its second game of the season.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.