NHL on TNT Unveils Expanded Schedule with 72 Games for 2025-26 NHL Regular Season, Starting Wednesday, Oct. 8

TNT Sports will enter its fifth season of live NHL on TNT coverage with its most robust schedule yet, including 72 regular season games, starting with a matchup of veteran superstars as the League's all-time goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals host four-time NHL All-Star David Pastrňák and the Boston Bruins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The blockbuster schedule also includes the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic, the Thanksgiving Showdown and regular live game coverage on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, as well as additional Sunday afternoon games in Spring 2026.

The 2025-26 season will culminate with NHL on TNT's presentation of the Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round, Second Round and Conference Final.

NHL on TNT's opening week coverage will spotlight prominent NHL storylines, including the new all-time goal scorer Ovechkin leading the Capitals in their season opener as they host the Original Six heavyweight Bruins. Later at 10 p.m., the 2023 Stanley Cup Champions will face off as Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights host Anže Kopitar, Quinton Byfield and the Los Angeles Kings.

The NHL on TNT regular season schedule will feature the biggest stars and rivalries in hockey, with coverage on 14 Tuesday and 21 Wednesday nights throughout the season as well as the annual Thanksgiving Showdown on Black Friday, Nov. 28 - New York Rangers at Boston Bruins at 1 p.m.

TNT will again be the exclusive home of the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic on January 2, as Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and Sergei Bobrovsky and the 2025 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers host Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and the New York Rangers.

Additional NHL on TNT regular season schedule highlights include:

• Along with TNT's opener, Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will make a total of eight appearances on TNT this season:
  • Capitals host Jordan Kyrou and the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the 2025 Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers visit Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.
  • In January, Washington will face the Dallas Stars on the 7th and the Colorado Avalanche on the 19th.
  • On Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. the Capitals will take on the Philadelphia Flyers.

  • In the run up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington will battle the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m.

• The reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers will make their first of six TNT appearances on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in Hockeytown, taking on the Detroit Red Wings.

• The Bruins will host two Original Six showdowns in the month of November, including a visit from Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.; Zibanejad and the Rangers visit TD Garden on Black Friday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. for the annual Thanksgiving Showdown.

• The 2025-26 season will mark the centennial for both the Blackhawks and Rangers, and the two will go head-to-head on Dec. 10 for an epic matchup of two storied Original Six franchises.

• As an early Christmas gift to hockey fans, TNT will present a blockbuster tripleheader on Tuesday, Dec. 23 starting at 4 p.m. with Penguins at Maple Leafs, then Stars at Red Wings and later Flyers at Blackhawks.

• The Battle of New York returns to TNT on Wednesday, Jan. 28 when the New York Islanders host cross-town rivals the Rangers at 7:30 p.m.; then on Wednesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. the Hudson River Rivalry will take center stage as the Rangers host the New Jersey Devils.

• NHL on TNT will close out the regular season on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. with a Red Wings vs. Panthers matchup, as Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane of Detroit face off against the reigning Champions in South Florida.

NHL on TNT's 2025-25 Regular Season Schedule