Blackhawks to Open Season Against Defending Stanley Cup Champions

The NHL continues to showcase young Chicago star Connor Bedard in premier matchups to open the season, after having him face off against Sidney Crosby two years ago and play in the first game in Utah on opening night last season. Now, Bedard will go up against the two-time defending champions to kick off his third NHL season. 

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. 

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 in March and ultimately helping the Panthers win the Stanley Cup. 

The NHL is facing some backlash for the details of this opening night tripleheader. With a 5 pm local puck drop for Florida, this will make their banner-raising ceremony take place sometime around 4 pm local time on a Tuesday afternoon. Not exactly ideal for anyone with a job. 

Many have made the argument as well that the Blackhawks aren't a great matchup for this spotlight either. The Panthers are a juggernaut, and Chicago just finished their third straight bottom-three finish in the league standings. The first game that NHL fans will see for the season figures to be a major mismatch. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers will also face off that same night at 7 pm Central. The triple header will conclude with the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche at 9:30 pm Central. The full league schedule will be released on Wednesday, July 16, at Noon CT.