Get all the details on how to watch the Blackhawks and Panthers face off to open the NHL season.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers will kick off the NHL season Tuesday afternoon, as the two teams will face off at 4:00 p.m. CT. The Panthers will raise their second consecutive Stanley Cup Championship banner before the game. This will mark the eighth consecutive season that Chicago opens the year on the road.

Tuesday’s opener will be the first of two matchups between Florida and Chicago this season. The Panthers will visit the United Center on January 25th. The two teams split the head-to-head matchup last season, with each team winning their respective home game against one another.

Chicago Blackhawks vs Florida Panthers Preview

Florida’s roster will be missing two major pieces, as forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk will not be in the lineup Tuesday. Barkov, the Panthers’ captain, will miss 7-9 months with a torn ACL. Tkachuk is set to be out until January after having adductor surgery in the off-season. Florida will need to replace a lot of production, as the two sidelined forwards finished top-3 in points for the team last season.

Chicago on the other hand will have a mostly healthy lineup coming in to opening night. The only regular roster players that they will be missing will be defenseman Alex Vlasic and forward Landon Slaggert, who are both recovering from lower body injuries. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who recently signed a one year deal, will take Vlasic’s spot in the lineup.

The game will also feature some other storylines. This will be Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight’s first game in Florida since being traded to Chicago last March. Knight spent parts of four seasons with the Panthers and was a fan favorite for those in Sunrise, Florida. 

Story continues below.

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This will also mark Florida defenseman Seth Jones’ first game facing Chicago since he was part of the trade to Florida that sent Knight to the Blackhawks. Jones spent parts of four seasons with Chicago before being moved to Florida last March and ultimately helping the Panthers win the Stanley Cup. 

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

TV Channel: ESPN (National Broadcast)

This matchup will be broadcast on national television, exclusively on ESPN. With that, all in-market and out-of-market viewers will have the same viewing option. Bob Wishusen, Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan will call the game for ESPN from Amerant Bank Arena.