The NHL's most recent expansion teams will take part in two big days of the 2023-24 season.
First, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Seattle Kraken on opening night. The Golden Knights, who won a Stanley Cup title in their sixth season, will celebrate the franchise's first championship by raising a banner before the game at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
Then the two will meet in the annual outdoor Winter Classic game on New Year's Day at Seattle's T-Mobile Park, home of Major League Baseball's Mariners.
The NHL regular season will run from Oct. 10 to April 18 and includes four outdoor games and four games in Europe.
Here are the key dates (times p.m. ET, unless noted) for the 2023-24 NHL season:
The NHL season opens on Tuesday, Oct. 10 with three games, all on ESPN:
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 5:30: The Lightning get their first test to see how they'll handle goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy's two-month absence after back surgery.
Chicago at Pittsburgh, 8: Generational prospect Connor Bedard makes his NHL debut against the Penguins and Sidney Crosby, his idol.
Seattle at Vegas, 10:30: The defending champion Golden Knights have been to the playoffs in all but one season while the Kraken improved by 40 points to reach the postseason in their second season.
The Hall of Fame induction is Nov. 13 in Toronto. Tom Barrasso, Henrik Lundqvist, Caroline Ouellette, Pierre Turgeon and Mike Vernon will be inducted in the player category. Ken Hitchcock and the late Pierre Lacroix were elected in the builder category.
Nov. 16-19 at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Nov. 16: Detroit vs. Ottawa, 2. Nov. 17: Toronto vs. Detroit, 2. Nov. 18: Minnesota vs. Ottawa, 11 a.m. Nov. 19: Toronto vs. Minnesota, 8 a.m.
No player transactions can take place from Dec. 20-27. No games or practices will be held from Dec. 24-26.
The Golden Knights will visit the Kraken at Seattle's T-Mobile Park. The game is scheduled to start at noon local time (3 p.m. ET).
Oct. 29: Calgary vs. Edmonton at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, 7
Feb. 17: Philadelphia vs. New Jersey at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 8
Feb. 18: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders at MetLife, 3
The skills competition will be Feb. 2 at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena. The All-Star Game will be held on Feb. 3. Times are TBA.
The trade deadline is March 8 at 3.
The regular season ends April 18, with six games.
The playoffs open on April 21. The last possible day of the Stanley Cup Final is June 24.