At long last, NHL hockey is back for the 2025-2026 (pre)season! Following up on some conversations in last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs threads, I thought it would be fun to start posting a weekly hockey thread on Saturdays that people could keep coming back to throughout the week, with live reactions to games, general hockey thoughts, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Of course, there are a lot more games in the NHL each week than in the NFL, so I might consider posting a thread with a minimal header more often, like on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. We’ll see.
There have already been a been a few exciting moments in rookie showcases / tournaments / face-offs etc., like this highlight of my beloved Montréal Canadiens’ rookie sensation Ivan Demidov (93) effortlessly sending his hapless Winnipeg defender sprawling:
Starting this evening is preseason hockey, with its not-entirely-regular rosters, total lack of impact on the standings, and increased potential for completely pointless injury. Still, that’s one step closer to the regular season that starts up on October 7. Here are the preseason games on tap for this week (click dates to expand, and see NHL.com for more details):
SATURDAY, SEPT. 20
St. Louis at Dallas, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 21
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 1 p.m.
Florida at Nashville, 3 p.m.
Toronto at Ottawa, 3 p.m.
Colorado vs. Utah, 4:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Winnipeg, 5 p.m.
St. Louis at Columbus, 5 p.m.
Washington at Boston, 5 p.m.
Anaheim vs. Los Angeles, 6 p.m.
Florida at Nashville, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Seattle, 8 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 8 p.m.
Utah at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 22
Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Utah at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 23
Boston at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Seattle at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Vegas, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24
Florida at Carolina, 6 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Calgary vs. Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Welcome back to hockey season, and let me know what you think about what we can do with this thread moving forward! If anyone else wants to take on a regular Tuesday or Thursday posting, volunteers are definitely welcome!