The Boston Bruins’ 2025-26 schedule is out. You can check out the full slate of games here. Here are five thoughts:
A back-to-back to start
The Bruins will open the 2025-26 season on the road against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and then will turn right around and host the Chicago Blackhawks for their home opener the next night. That’s not really ideal, but it’s still probably better than last year’s start, when the Bruins opened the season in Sunrise for the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup banner-raising.
In fact, the Bruins actually faced the Panthers twice in their first four games last season. That may have seemed exciting going in, but in retrospect, it really didn’t do the B’s any favors. They looked like a team that was more interested in trying to settle old scores than starting the season on the right foot, chasing hits and trying to start fights while the Panthers simply went about their business and dropped 10 goals on them in a pair of wins.
That Panthers tunnel vision is far from the only reason the Bruins started last season so poorly, but it certainly didn’t help. Neither did all the other top teams Boston had to face early on; eight of their 11 games in October were against teams that went on to make the playoffs.
The Bruins have an oddly busy October overall this season, with three back-to-backs in the first month. Eight of their 13 October games are at home, while they’ll also mix in their first Western road trip with games in Vegas, Colorado and Utah. Seven of their 13 October games are against teams that made the playoffs last year.
Brad Marchand’s return
While the Bruins don’t open the season with Florida this time around, they still won’t have to wait long to welcome Brad Marchand and the Panthers back to Boston. They host the Stanley Cup champions on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in their eighth game of the season.
The Bruins did host the Panthers once after the Marchand trade last season, but Marchand did not play due to injury. He was in the building for that game, but spent it watching from the Florida dressing room and did not want to be in view of any cameras.
Assuming Marchand is healthy this time around, we should expect some sort of emotional tribute and ovation from Boston fans, who really didn’t get a chance to give Marchand a proper goodbye in March. While Bruins fans probably remain torn about the whole idea of seeing Marchand in a Panthers sweater, his impact in Boston and his status as a franchise icon is undeniable.
That is actually the Panthers’ only visit to Boston all season. The Bruins will head down to Sunrise twice, on Feb. 4 and April 2.
Back to the great outdoors
The Bruins will be playing outdoors for the sixth time, and this time it will be in Florida. Yes, outdoor hockey in Florida! No, not against the Panthers. The Bruins will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Stadium Series game on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers.
This was one of the games that had already been announced ahead of time, but it’s worth highlighting again. While it’s not quite the Winter Classic, the Stadium Series still ranks among the marquee events of the regular season. The Winter Classic, by the way, will also be in Florida, with the Panthers hosting the New York Rangers at the Miami Marlins’ LoanDepot Park on Jan. 2. These will be the first two NHL outdoor games to ever be held in Florida.
The Bruins have enjoyed the great outdoors, as they are 4-1 all-time in outdoor games, beginning with a win over the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park – with new coach Marco Sturm scoring the overtime winner. They also won the 2019 Winter Classic over the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium, a 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe game over the Flyers, and the 2023 Winter Classic over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway. Their only loss was against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium.
A 3-week break for the Olympics
The Bruins’ games in Tampa and Sunrise on Feb. 1 and 4, respectively, will be their final games before a three-week break in February for the Olympics, as NHL stars will be heading to Milan, Italy to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014.
Assuming health, Charlie McAvoy will be there for Team USA. Jeremy Swayman has a good shot at joining him. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha will be representing the Czech Republic. Elias Lindholm is just about a lock for Sweden, as is Henri Jokiharju for Finland. Hampus Lindholm will be in the running for Sweden as well if he can bounce back after a season-ending knee injury.
Group play at the Olympics will begin Feb. 11, and the tournament will wrap up with the gold medal game on Feb. 22. The Bruins’ first game after the break will be at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 26.
Rivalries and other big games
While the Bruins only face the Panthers three times this season, they do at least play the Montreal Canadiens four times after only facing their archrivals three times last year. The first meeting is Nov. 15 in Montreal, followed by home games on Dec. 23 (the Bruins’ last game before the three-day Christmas break) and Jan. 24, and then another trip to Montreal on March 17.
The Bruins do only face the Toronto Maple Leafs three times, though – a home-and-home mini-series on Nov. 8 and 11, followed by a home meeting on March 24.
Other home games of note: Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Avalanche make their lone visit to Boston early, on Oct. 25. The Black Friday matinee is back, with the Bruins hosting the Rangers at 1 p.m. on Nov. 28. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers are in town on Dec. 18, and the Bruins will then make the return trip to Edmonton for a New Year’s Eve game at 9:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins visit on Jan. 11 and March 3. Bruce Cassidy and Jack Eichel’s homecoming with the Golden Knights will be on Jan. 22. All-time leading goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin makes his only trip to Boston with the Capitals for a Saturday matinee on March 7. The Bruins end the season with a home game against New Jersey on Tuesday, April 14.