The NHL “announced home openers for all 32 clubs” Wednesday, with the full schedule “set to be released on Thursday.” The Hurricanes and Panthers, the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, the N.Y. Rangers and Bruins, the Blackhawks and Golden Knights, and the Canucks and Oilers will all “face off as part of a five-game curtain raiser” on Sept. 29. The NHL is set to start its regular season before October “for the first time since 1993-94” as the league moves to an 84-game schedule. The 1,344 games “will be the most in NHL history” (AP, 7/15).
The Hurricanes will “raise another Stanley Cup banner” on Sept. 29 in a 5pm ET home opener that “features the last three Stanley Cup winners.” The Panthers won back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025 before missing the playoffs last season (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/15).
