NHL On Tap: Panthers begin Cup defense to launch ESPN tripleheader

Opening night in the NHL is Tuesday and there are three nationally televised games on the schedule. Here are five things to watch:

Three-peat attempt begins

The Florida Panthers open the 2025-26 season and defense of their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena (5 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS). Thought banner will go up, two of the main players who helped get it there, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov and alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk, will not be on the ice. Both are sidelined long term because of injury, with Tkachuk likely out until at least December following surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle Aug. 22 and Barkov expected to miss 7-9 months after surgery to his ACL and MCL in his right knee.

Penguins vs. Sullivan

For a decade, Mike Sullivan guided the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017 as their coach. Now, Sullivan will start the season behind the opposing bench with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS). Sullivan left the Penguins after they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three consecutive seasons. The Rangers are coming off a disappointing season, failing to make the playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final.

The Penguins' last stand?

When the Penguins take the ice against the Rangers, it will mark the 20th season together for Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin, the highest-scoring trio with a single team in NHL history with 3,703 regular-season points. Letang is signed for three more seasons and Crosby the next two, but Malkin, a 39-year-old forward, enters his final season under contract.

Landeskog has landed

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned for Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars on April 23, his first game since helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup on June 26, 2022, because of a knee injury. The forward played five games before Colorado lost the series in seven and is set for his first regular-season game since March 10, 2022, against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).

Kopitar's final season

Anze Kopitar, one of the best players in Kings history, will play his final season after announcing his intention to retire at the conclusion of 2025-26. It's the 20th NHL season for Kopitar, the Kings captain since June 16, 2016, who helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014. He's played 1,454 games, all for the Kings, with 1,278 points (440 goals, 838 assists), and has won the Selke Trophy twice (2016, '18) and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times (2016, '23, '25). He had 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 81 games last season.

The schedule

Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers, 5 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS

Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS