Blackhawks to face banner-raising Panthers in NHL season opener

The Blackhawks’ streak of starting every season on the road will continue this fall, and with an especially difficult matchup.

The Hawks will face the Panthers, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, after their banner-raising ceremony at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the league announced Monday.

It will be the very first game of the 2025-26 NHL season and the first leg of an opening-night tripleheader on ESPN, with Penguins-Rangers and Kings-Avalanche following it.

The banner-raising won’t be the only compelling storyline. Panthers defenseman Seth Jones will square off against the Hawks for the first time since his trade in March, while Hawks goalie Spencer Knight — the key return in the trade — will likely start against the Panthers for the first time.

The Hawks have begun six consecutive seasons with road games and have won only one of the previous five (in Pittsburgh in 2023 in Connor Bedard’s debut).

The full schedule will be released Wednesday.

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