Newest NHL Teams To Face Off as ESPN Returns to Hockey

Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights makes a save against the Montreal Canadiens in the first period in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Semifinals during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 16, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marc-Andre Fleury and the Vegas Golden Knights will take on the NHL's newest team, the Seattle Kraken, on ESPN Oct. 12 (Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The National Hockey League's two newest teams will face off Oct. 12 as ESPN returns to the ice under its new contract with the league.

The expansion Seattle Kraken will take on the Las Vegas Golden Nights in the second game of an opening night double header. The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1. 

Both games will also be simulcast on ESPN Plus, and more than 25 out-of-market games will be streamed live on ESPN Plus during the first week of the season.

Also Read: Streaming Takes Center Ice in NHL-Disney Rights Deal

The next night will feature Turner Sports’ first night of NHL action. The New York Rangers will play the Washington Capitals in the first game of a TNT doubleheader, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Colorado Avalanche.

TNT will have another NHL doubleheader the following week. 

Later in the season, TNT will have the 2022 NHL Winter Classic with the St. Louis Blues playing the Minnesota Wild at Target Field in Minneapolis on Jan. 1.

Also Read: Wayne Gretzky Joins Turner Sports as Hockey Analyst

Disney’s ESPN and AT&T’s Turner replace Comcast’s NBC Sports carrying NHL games.

The Kraken’s inaugural season home opener on Saturday, Oct. 23, will be streamed live and exclusively on ESPN Plus and Hulu when they host the Vancouver Canucks in Seattle’s brand new Climate Pledge Arena.

ESPN will carry the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Feb. 4 followed by the All Star game on Feb. 5 live from Las Vegas.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.