The 2025-26 NHL season will begin Oct. 7, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be a part of the opening night festivities.
The league announced Monday six teams will be taking part in a season-opening tripleheader on ESPN, with the Penguins traveling to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The Eastern Conference clash will not only, perhaps, be the final season opener where Pittsburgh icons Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby are skating together on the same team, but feature a much-anticipated reunion between the Penguins and former longtime head coach Mike Sullivan.
The 57-year-old coached Pittsburgh for 10 seasons beginning in 2015 and led the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. Sullivan was fired by the Penguins in late April and was hired by the Rangers less than one week later.
New York and Pittsburgh squared off in both team’s 2024 season-openers, with the Rangers routing the Penguins 6-0 at PPG Paints Arena.
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