Matthew Tkachuk is sure about what he wants for himself and the team this upcoming season. “Hopefully another best year ever,” the Florida Panthers forward said once the Stanley Cup celebrations were done and dusted. “I don’t know. I think I want to get used to this, this whole winning thing. So, I guess it starts with coming out at the start of the year again.” Well, for the Panthers, the ‘year’ starts on October 7th.
The Florida Panthers will raise their second championship banner at the Amerant Bank Arena before taking on the Chicago Blackhawks at 5 PM ET in the first of three games on the day. It will be broadcast on ESPN in the US and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. Then at 8 p.m. ET, the action heats up as the New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Metropolitan Division clash at Madison Square Garden.
Then, at 10:30 p.m. ET, the Colorado Avalanche hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Kings in a compelling Western Conference matchup at Crypto.com Arena. Having been eliminated early in the playoffs this past year, both teams will be raring to start the season on a positive note, making for an exciting match-up. But wait. The NHL is yet to release the full regular season schedule (July 16), but they’ve already managed to disappoint fans. Wondering how?
#NHL 2025-26 Opening Night Tripleheader:
Tues. Oct. 7
5pm ET: #Blackhawks at #FlaPanthers
8pm ET: #LetsGoPens at #NYR
10:30pm ET: #GoAvsGo at #LAKings
Full schedule release on Wed. July 16 at 1pm ET.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 14, 2025
Well, in case you haven’t guessed already, it’s mostly the timing of their opening game that has got the Panthers faithful scratching their heads. For a few others, it’s who the two-time defending champions will be going up against on the opening day.
NHL fans rage over the Florida Panthers’ season opener
“How is the FLA vs CHI game not the prime time game? Would love to hear the reasoning,” one fan commented, clearly disappointed. “Do we have to three-peat to get some respect around here or what? TF is that puck drop time?” asked another netizen. An obvious question. But who’s answering? Meanwhile, another section of fans didn’t quite understand why the NHL would think that the Panthers vs. the Blackhawks was the best game for opening day.
“Who wants to see these games? Should be Florida vs Oilers on opening night, that would be something.” Indeed, it would have been interesting to see how the Oilers would have gone about their business so soon after being handed another Stanley Cup disappointment by the Panthers. And so, for many, the match-up against the Blackhawks doesn’t even compare.
Mandatory Credits: Wilfredo Lee/AP
“Who in the –uk is watching them?” commented one fan. “Bla, Bla, Bla, Blackhawks…They’ve been lousy for what, nine years? Yet the NHL still treats them like the mini dynasty they were over a decade ago,” commented another. Really, to pit two-time defending champions against a team that has managed to make the playoffs only once in the last five years seems like a bust. Moreover, Connor Bedard and Co. finished the 2024-25 season right at the bottom of the Central Division. One netizen didn’t mince their words, “This looks more like a random Friday evening in January than an Opening Night schedule. Farce of a league.” But then again, it would be interesting to see Seth Jones go up against his former team, whose fans weren’t exactly happy with the D-man during his stay in Chicago.
On top of that, there’s the whole anxiety surrounding subscriptions. It got highlighted in one of the fans’ comments. “Stanley Cup champs get a 5 p.m. start time, and I’m guessing the NHL will make it hard to watch unless you have the right subscription?” And it’s not the first time such a concern has been raised. Back in February, the Winged Wheel Podcast‘s Ryan Hana pinned the NHL’s declining viewership on its overly complicated subscription situation, even going so far as to say, “Best sport in the world and nobody can watch.” It remains to be seen if that is the case this upcoming season as well. Meanwhile, let us know what you think of the opening day games in the comments.
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