Get ready hockey fans, NHL pre-season hockey is just around the corner.
The league announced on Tuesday its 2024-25 composite pre-season schedule, which will begin on Sept. 21 and conclude on Oct. 5. The regular season will begin on Oct. 4, when the New Jersey Devils take on the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia, as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series.
The 15-day, 106-game pre-season slate will be played across 40 NHL and neutral-site venues in North America and Europe.
One of the highlights of the pre-season schedule is the annual game celebrating Kraft Hockeyville, with the winning town for 2024, Elliot Lake, Ont. The Ottawa Senators will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sept. 29 at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, Ont., in the annual event to celebrate hockey around communities in Canada. The game is being held in Sudbury because the Elliot Lake rink is too small and in need of repairs. The entire celebration can be watched on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Another milestone moment from the pre-season schedule is the Utah Hockey Club making its NHL debut on Sept. 22 against the St. Louis Blues in Des Moines, Iowa.
The pre-season slate also sees the NHL continue to try to grow the game around the world, as Munich, Germany, will also host an NHL team for the first time when the Sabres face Deutsche Eishockey Liga club Red Bull Munich on Sept. 27. It’s the fifth German city to host an NHL team, joining Berlin (2008, 2011, 2019 and 2022), Mannheim (2010 and 2011), Hamburg (2011) and Cologne (2018).
Abbotsford, B.C., and Quebec City will also host neutral site pre-season games. The Calgary Flames will face the Vancouver Canucks in Abbotsford on Sept. 25, while Quebec City will see the Boston Bruins take on the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 3 and the Florida Panthers face the Kings on Oct. 5.
Below is the full NHL pre-season schedule (all times Eastern):
SATURDAY, SEPT. 21
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 22
Nashville (split squad) at Florida (split squad), 2 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington, 3 p.m.
New York Rangers at Boston, 5 p.m.
Nashville (split squad) at Florida (split squad), 6 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 6 p.m.
New York Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
St. Louis vs. Utah, at Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena), 7 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 8 p.m.
Calgary at Seattle, 10 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 23
Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Calgary (split squad) at Edmonton (split squad), 9 p.m.
Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Edmonton (split squad) at Calgary (split squad), 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Utah (Delta Center, Salt Lake City), 9 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 24
Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Montreal, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Washington at Boston, 7 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25
Florida vs. Tampa Bay, at Orlando, Fla. (Kia Center), 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Washington at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Calgary vs. Vancouver, at Abbotsford, B.C. (Abbotsford Centre), 10 p.m.
Los Angeles at Vegas, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
Boston at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 27
Buffalo vs. Red Bull Munich, at Munich, Germany (SAP Garden), 2:30 p.m.
Chicago at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Washington, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Winnipeg at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m.
Vancouver at Seattle, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28
Anaheim vs. Los Angeles, at Ontario, Calif. (Toyota Arena), 6 p.m.
Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Florida, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Seattle at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29
Dallas at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh, at Sudbury, Ont. (Sudbury Community Arena; Kraft Hockeyville 2024), 7 p.m.
Utah at Colorado, 7 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 30
Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 7 p.m.
Washington at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCT. 1
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Columbus at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Vegas at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.
Utah at San Jose, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2
Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Seattle, 10 p.m.
Utah at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 3
Boston vs. Los Angeles, at Quebec City (Videotron Centre), 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Vegas, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 4
Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Winnipeg at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 5
Boston at Washington, 5 p.m.
Carolina at Nashville, 5 p.m.
Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Florida vs. Los Angeles, at Quebec City (Videotron Centre), 7 p.m.
Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Utah (Maverik Center, West Valley City), 7 p.m.
Chicago vs. St. Louis, at Milwaukee, Wisc. (Fiserv Forum), 8 p.m.
San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m.