Portugal Colonial - NHL unveils 2024-25 schedule with season starting in Prague

The Buffalo Sabres will face the New Jersey Devils in Prague for two games in the NHL Global Series to launch the 1,312-game regular-season schedule.

The first North American contests will be October 8 when the Florida Panthers raise their first Stanley Cup championship banner in a home opener against the Boston Bruins.

Other games that night find Utah, the relocated Arizona Coyotes franchise, playing host to the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis at Seattle.

There will be two other regular-season contests in Europe when the Panthers face the Dallas Stars in Tampere, Finland, on November 1-2.

Each club will play 82 games before the season ends on April 17. Every NHL team will play on October 22.

There will be two rematch games of last month's best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, Florida beating Edmonton 4-3 in the best of seven game series.

The Panthers will visit Edmonton on December 16 and host the Oilers on February 27.

The league will stage the NHL Winter Classic outdoor game on December 31 when the St. Louis Blues face the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago's iconic baseball stadium Wrigley Field.

There will also be an outdoor contest in the NHL Stadium Series on March 1 when the Columbus Blue Jackets play host to the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium, the famed home venue of the Ohio State University American football team.

The NHL regular-season schedule will pause from February 10-21 for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a new event featuring NHL players on teams representing Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States.

There will be seven games played in Boston and Montreal over nine days from February 12-20.

Among other notable games next season will be Steven Stamkos, the former Tampa Bay captain who played 16 seasons for the Lightning, returning to Tampa with his new team, the Nashville Predators, on October 28.

L.Mesquita--PC