The NHL announced the schedule for the 2025-26 season's opening night on Monday. The Florida Panthers will raise their second-straight Stanley Cup banner against the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins traveling to New York to take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

A fter more than a year on the NHL coaching carousel without landing a new opportunity, former New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is making a surprising pivot. According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the 61-year-old coach is heading to Russia to take on a role in the KHL.

Mike Sullivan will coach against the team he coached for the past 10 seasons when the Rangers open the season.

A front-loaded schedule, which features 23 road games of the first 41, will lead into a second half that includes a seven-game home stand at the end of March into early April. All four meetings with the Islanders are before the March 6 trade deadline. All three meetings with the Devils are after the trade deadline.

Here are seven reasons why new Head Coach Mike Sullivan will help the Rangers turn the tide: 1. He transformed a mediocre and underperforming Pittsburgh Penguins team when he got hired in December of 2015.

Here's a look at several must-see games in 2025-26: For the second straight season, Florida will raise a Stanley Cup banner, this time against Connor Bedard and Chicago, which has a new coach in Jeff Blashill and seeks to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan will get his first meeting against his former team out of the way early. The NHL unveiled its three-game Opening Night slate for the 2025-26 season on Monday, revealing that the Blueshirts will take on the Penguins in their first game of the season on Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

The 2025-26 NHL schedule is officially here, and this year we're seeing a well-deserved nod to Sunshine State teams with marquee events, an American Thanksgiving loaded with action, and tons of hype leading up to the Winter Olympics.

The New York Rangers will play their sixth outdoor game during the 2025-26 season, as well as their longest homestand

The New York Rangers have done their fair share of retooling after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. Though