NHL cheat sheet: Everything you need to know for 2025-26 season

The 2025-26 National Hockey League season gets underway Tuesday with a tripleheader. The campaign kicks off at 5 p.m. ET with the defending-champion Florida Panthers hosting Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Here's everything you need to know.

How to watch 📺

Check local and regional listings individually throughout the season. Prime-time games in the U.S. will air on ESPN or TNT, while streaming services HBO Max, ESPN+, and Hulu also carry some exclusive rights.

In Canada, Prime Video will show at least one game every Monday throughout the season, while Sportsnet and TVA Sports maintain broadcast rights.

Here's how to watch Tuesday's tripleheader.

Game Start time 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 CHI @ FLA 5 p.m. ET ESPN Sportsnet/TVA PIT @ NYR 8 p.m. ET ESPN Sportsnet/TVA COL @ LAK 10:30 p.m. ET ESPN Sportsnet/TVA

Looking ahead 🔮

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Which teams will make the playoffs? Who wins the Hart? Or the Vezina? But most importantly, who's winning the Stanley Cup? Our experts know. Read more ...

Julian Catalfo / theScore

Joel Quenneville, Mitch Marner, Elias Pettersson, and Connor Hellebuyck. These are among the 10 people under the most pressure to perform this upcoming season. Read more ...

Julian Catalfo / theScore

Sharks sophomore Macklin Celebrini is poised for a breakout year. Here are nine other players who could see their stocks rise substantially in 2025-26. Read more ...

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How do the Maple Leafs line up without Mitch Marner? Who will work the wings for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl? These were the top questions for Canadian teams entering training camp. Some answers seem clearer now, but other solutions remain cloudy. Read more ...

Featured analysis 🤓

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Check out the X-factors for every team heading into the campaign in our first edition of the NHL Power Rankings.

Heading into an Olympic year, here are six storylines to monitor before the puck drops.

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Ivan Demidov. The Hughes brothers. Patrick Kane. These are a few of the 11 people who will define the 2025-26 NHL season.

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It's Connor McDavid's world, and the rest of the league is just playing in it. But who's the NHL's second-best player?

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Speaking of McDavid, our very own John Matisz checked in around the league about the extension standoff involving the Oilers star. Turns out he really isn't joking when he said "all options are on the table." More on McDavid's fuzzy future.

Brady Skjei wants 10-minute overtime periods. Patrick Kane and Travis Sanheim prefer the old playoff format. Here's what else players would change if they were commissioner for a day.

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Got a question for our hockey experts? Matisz's inbox is always open. Send theScore's senior NHL writer an email at john.matisz@thescore.com or message him on Twitter/X at @matiszjohn.

Betting 💸

Who poses the biggest threat to Panthers' three-peat?

Getty Team Odds Hurricanes +800 Avalanche +800 Oilers +800 Golden Knights +800 Stars +900

Check out our favorite season-long prop bets.

Fantasy 🎯

• Top 200 (hits + blocks) 📜

Forwards Defense Goalies 1. Connor McDavid (C) 1. Cale Makar 1. Connor Hellebuyck 2. Nathan MacKinnon (C) 2. Evan Bouchard 2. Andrei Vasilevskiy 3. Leon Draisaitl (C/LW) 3. Zach Werenski 3. Igor Shesterkin

• Busts to avoid ⚠️
• Sleepers to steal 😴
• Bounce-back candidates 🪃

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