The Vegas Golden Knights are still celebrating their first Stanley Cup championship, but the NHL is already turning its attention to next season. The league has released its 2023-24 schedule, which kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 10 with an ESPN-exclusive tripleheader that will see the Golden Knights raise their Stanley Cup banner before taking on the Seattle Kraken.
The Opening Night
With the Stanley Cup banner raised, it's time to turn the page and begin the 2023-24 NHL season. Training camps are starting up this weekend, and John Tavares and the Maple Leafs will drop the puck on Oct. 3 in Montreal, with the Capitals playing a rematch against Boston a half-hour later at home.
The opening night schedule features a trio of games broadcast exclusively on ESPN, with the highlight being the Vegas Golden Knights raising their championship banner before playing the Seattle Kraken. The other two games that night are the Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators.
The rest of the regular season will start with a staggered schedule, as each team plays three games that night. It's the first full regular season since this year's COVID-19 pandemic, and the first time that all teams played 82 games. The regular season will end with the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Always check NHL and NFL Schedule.
The Winter Classic
The NHL will once again schedule a regular-season game on New Year’s Day. The 2024 edition will see the Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights visit the expansion Kraken in Seattle at T-Mobile Park (home of MLB’s Seattle Mariners). The league continues to etch out a niche on that day, giving fans a welcome break from college football overload and allowing them to witness an original event.
The season opens on Oct. 10 with a three-game slate, highlighted by the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights rematching in a first meeting since last spring’s Stanley Cup Final. The NHL also is adding a global dimension to the schedule this season, with the Edmonton Oilers playing the New Jersey Devils at Sweden’s Scandinavium on Oct. 6, followed by the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets squaring off in back-to-back games in Finland on Nov. 1-2.
In addition to those marquee games, several intriguing matchups are scheduled for Dec. 12. On that night, Chicago visits Edmonton to see Bedard face Connor McDavid in the first-ever meeting between the two rivals.
The All-Star Game
The NHL will celebrate the 2024 All-Star Game in a different way than previous years. In addition to a traditional game in Nashville, the league will play two preseason games on Sept. 23 and 24 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne as part of its new Global Series. The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings will participate in those matchups.
The All-Star Game itself will be played Feb. 4. The league hasn’t released the All-Star weekend schedule yet. In addition to the All-Star Game, the NHL is set to hold a Stadium Series matchup between Alberta rivals the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames on Oct. 29.
Another big event scheduled for the season is the NHL Heritage Classic on Feb. 4 at Scotiabank Arena in hockey-mad Toronto. That matchup will feature Connor McDavid and the Oilers facing archrival Calgary Flames. NHL fans will also get to see the Nashville Predators play Tampa Bay Lightning for the first time since last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Finale
After a summer that has been nothing short of fantastic, the NHL is ready to turn the page and begin another season. And what a season it will be!
Opening night is set for Oct. 10, with the Vegas Golden Knights raising their Stanley Cup championship banner before they take on the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Arena. Elsewhere on the opening day schedule, new-look Nashville Predators will visit Tampa Bay Lightning, and Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard (aka No. 1 pick if he's drafted by the Blackhawks) will face off against each other.
The NHL will also go global on Nov. 16-19 with four regular-season matches at Avicii Arena in Stockholm as part of the league's annual Global Series. The Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs will all head overseas. Then, the Stadium Series returns to New York on Feb. 17 and 18 with a pair of games featuring New Jersey Devils against the Flyers, followed by a matchup between the Rangers and Islanders.
