NHL On Tap: Laviolette to debut as Kings coach at Avalanche

There are three games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, including two televised nationally in the United States and one in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Laviolette to debut as Kings coach

Peter Laviolette will debut as coach of the Los Angeles Kings against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver (10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT). The Kings are Laviolette’s seventh NHL team; he ranks seventh among coaches in wins (846) and ninth in games (1,594), most recently guiding the New York Rangers for two seasons (2023-25). Drew Doughty will debut as Kings captain; the defenseman succeeds Anze Kopitar, who retired after 20 seasons in Los Angeles. It’s a rematch from the Western Conference First Round last season; the Avalanche, who signed coach Jared Bednar to a four-year contract Wednesday that runs through the 2030-31 season, won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top team in 2025-26 with 121 points. They swept the Kings in four games en route to the conference final, where they were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Schaefer vs. McKenna

Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders open their season by visiting Gavin McKenna and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first matchup between the No. 1 picks of the past two NHL Drafts in the premiere of NHL on Prime “Wednesday Night Hockey” in Canada at Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, MSGSN). Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, won the Calder Trophy as the League’s top rookie last season after setting the League record for points by an 18-year-old defenseman (59) and tying the single-season record for goals by a rookie defenseman (23). McKenna, the No 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, made his debut in Toronto’s season-opening 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. The 18-year-old forward was minus-2 and had one shot on goal in 15:19 ice time.

Flyers-Penguins rivalry renewed

Emotions often get heated in the Battle of Pennsylvania, and this season opener should be no different when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Philadelphia Flyers in the first game of an “NHL on TNT” doubleheader at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT). It’s Pittsburgh’s first trip there since Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round last season on April 29. Flyers goalie Dan Vladar stopped all 42 shots he faced, and Cam York scored 17:32 into overtime to give Philadelphia a 1-0 series-clinching victory. The Penguins and Flyers surprised many by qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing second and third, respectively, in the Metropolitan Division. Each will look to take the next step this season.

MacKinnon ready for takeoff?

After winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for leading the NHL with 53 goals last season, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon will try to become the first player to win it in consecutive seasons since Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs (2021, 2022). MacKinnon, who is beginning his 14th NHL season, all with Colorado, also finished third in the voting for the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player behind Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers). The 31-year-old is most driven, though, to bring the Stanley Cup to Colorado for the first time since 2022.

Another season of Crosby, Malkin and Letang

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang begin another season as Penguins teammates. Their 21 seasons together are the most by three players in the history of North American pro sports. This is Crosby’s 22nd NHL season, and 20th as Penguins captain, eclipsing Steve Yzerman (19 with the Detroit Red Wings) as the longest-tenured captain in League history.  He is seventh in NHL history with 1,761 points (654 goals, 1,107 assists) and could break into the top four this season. The 39-year-old needs 11 points to pass Marcel Dionne (1,771) for sixth. He is 37 behind Ron Francis (1,798) for fifth and 89 behind Gordie Howe (1,850) for fourth.

The schedule

Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT)

New York Islanders at Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, MSGSN)

Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT)