The NHL has released its full schedule for the 2025-26 season, and we now know the full 82-game slate for all three local teams.
As revealed on Monday, the Rangers are part of the league’s season-opening tripleheader on Oct. 7, as new head coach Mike Sullivan will welcome his former team, the Penguins, to Madison Square Garden. Other notable home games in the early part of the season for the Blueshirts include hosting Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Oct. 14 and welcoming the rival Islanders with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer on Nov. 8.
Chris Kreider will make his MSG return on Dec. 15 when the Ducks come to town, and the rematch with Anaheim will come on the road on Jan. 19.
As for the hated Devils, the Rangers won’t see them until March 7, and all three matchups against each other will be in a span of three and a half weeks. The Hudson River Rivalry will see two instalments occur at MSG on March 18 and March 31.
The Blueshirts close the season with a daunting three-game road trip against the Stars, Panthers, and Lightning.
New Jersey opens its season on Oct. 9 where last season ended, on the road against the Hurricanes, the team that knocked them out in the first round of the playoffs after a double overtime win in game five. The Devils have a three-game road trip to start the season before hosting the defending champion Panthers in their home opener at The Rock. The Devils’ final game before the Christmas break will be on Long Island against the Isles on Dec. 23, and will be in Columbus on New Year’s Eve for a 7:00 puck drop.
The Islanders open the season in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9 before their home opener two nights later against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. Their first game against Noah Dobson, dealt in the offseason, will come on Feb. 26 in Montreal, and Dobson’s return to Long Island will have to wait until the penultimate game of the regular season on April 12 before the season ends at home two nights later against Carolina.