Former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan top, will face his old team for the first time while leading the New York Rangers as part of the NHL’s opening night Oct. 7. Associated Press file photo

Matt Freed

NEW YORK — The Florida Panthers are set to raise their second consecutive Stanley Cup banner before beginning the NHL season against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The back-to-back champions play at 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 7 to lead off an opening night tripleheader, the league announced Monday. Florida defeated Edmonton in the teams' Cup final rematch and is aiming for the NHL's first threepeat since the New York Islanders' dynasty from 1980-83.

Also on Oct. 7, the New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m., with the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 p.m. EDT. Mike Sullivan makes his Rangers coaching debut against the team he guided to the Stanley Cup in 2016 and '17 and from whom he split after a third consecutive season out of the playoffs.

The remainder of the schedule is set to be released Wednesday. It includes a break for players to participate in the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the NHL’s return to that stage for the first time since 2014.

This is the final 82-game regular season before going to 84 in 2026-27 as part of a collective bargaining agreement extension agreed to and ratified by the league and the Players’ Association. Along with a reduction in exhibition play, that will mean a total of 1,344 games, up from the current 1,312.