Top 20 NHL games of 2024-25: Stanley Cup Final rematch, Macklin Celebrini’s debut highlight loaded slate

The dust has officially settled on the offseason, and NHL teams recently reported to their training camps across the league. Quite a few high-profile players switched addresses over the summer, including star winger Jake Guentzel landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators bringing in the likes of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault in free agency.

With NHL preseason games just days away, the regular season isn’t too far away from getting underway. While it is a long season, there are many marquee games that hockey fans are going to want to tune in for.

Let’s take a closer look at the regular-season schedule with the top 20 games we’ll see throughout the 2024-25 campaign.

1. Panthers at Oilers (Dec. 16)

The 2024 Stanley Cup Final got off to a slow start, but really displayed some incredible drama in the later stages of the series. After the Oilers erased a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7, the Panthers were able to tally a hard-fought 2-1 win in Game 7 and hoisted their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The two teams will battle it out for the first time on Dec. 16 this coming season, and the majority of both teams are back in the fold. It’s always fun to see where the defending conference champions are as they look to push for a return trip to the NHL mountaintop.

2. Blues at Sharks (Oct. 10)

For the second consecutive season, the NHL will have potential elite player entering the league on Opening Night. While Macklin Celebrini isn’t quite as heralded of a prospect as Connor Bedard, he’ll still be an extremely intriguing player on the ice throughout the 2024-25 season. After all, Celebrini did rack up 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) as a freshman at Boston College in 2023-24 and is well worth the price of admission. It’s also worth noting that Celebrini’s former Boston College teammate Will Smith will also be making his NHL debut in this game, so the Sharks could be fun to watch develop in 2024-25.

3. Panthers at Blue Jackets (Oct. 15)

This is one where the hockey world is going to collectively weep. This matchup between the Panthers and Blue Jackets will be the first game in Columbus since the tragic death of Blue Jackets star winger Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed in a cycling accident in New Jersey this summer. Gaudreau was a fixture in Columbus and Calgary throughout his 11-year NHL career and among one of the league’s top talents. It’s likely the Blue Jackets will honor Gaudreau throughout the 2024-25 season, but nothing has been announced on that front just yet. Still, it’s going to be a very emotional evening in Columbus as the team continues to heal.

4. Hurricanes at Predators (Oct. 5)

The Predators sent shockwaves through the NHL when they were the most active team in free agency. Nashville added star forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, who both have Stanley Cup-winning experience. If that wasn’t enough of a splash, the Predators also landed veteran defenseman Brady Skjei to potentially pair with 2024 Norris Trophy finalist Roman Josi. It’ll be interesting to see what these new-look Predators can do in the early going.

5. Flyers at Canucks (Oct. 11)

Macklin Celebrini isn’t the only premier rookie taking the ice this season. Highly-touted forward Matvei Michkov will make his NHL debut with the Flyers much earlier than many imagined after being let out of his KHL contract in Russia. Michkov fell into the Flyers’ lap in the 2023 NHL Draft due to the fact that many teams were unsure when he’d be able to come stateside. Now, Michkov will look to give the Flyers a true superstar to build around, and it’ll be worth keeping an eye on how he adjusts to the North American style of play.

6. Blackhawks at Utah Hockey Club (Oct. 8)

This game tips the scales for multiple reasons. It’ll be the sophomore season debut for Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard, who will be looking to build off of a phenomenal rookie campaign. However, it also marks the first home game for the Utah Hockey Club after relocating from Arizona. The early returns have shown that Salt Lake City could be developing into a big-time hockey market, much like Las Vegas and Seattle did in their inaugural seasons. It’ll be fun to see if the fan support is there for an NHL franchise with an abundance of young talent.

7. Blues vs. Blackhawks (Dec. 31)

The Winter Classic is a chance for the sport to go back to its root playing outdoors. This season’s Winter Classic will be played at Wrigley Field between the Blues and the Blackhawks. It’ll mark the second time Wrigley Field is hosting the Winter Classic with the only other time coming in 2009, when the Blackhawks hosted the Red Wings. Seeing Connor Bedard playing outdoors in a Major League Baseball stadium? It doesn’t get much better than that.

8. Stars at Oilers (Oct. 19)

The Oilers were able to get the best of the Stars in the Western Conference Final last season. The Stars took two of the first three games of the series before the Oilers woke up to win three consecutive games. It also didn’t hurt that Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner surrendered just four total goals over the final three contests of the series. It’s likely Dallas will be looking for revenge when facing the team that ended its Stanley Cup aspirations several months ago.

9. Devils at Sabres (Oct. 4)

The 2024-25 NHL season will kick off in Prague, Czech Republic as part of the league’s Global Series. The Devils are coming off of a down year in which they failed to qualify for the postseason. New Jersey finally found a goaltender in Jacob Markstrom via the trade market, while also signing the likes of Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon to improve their back end. The Sabres, who also missed the postseason in 2023-24, will be looking to get off to a fast start behind star talents like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin.

10. NHL 4 Nations Face-Off (Feb. 13-20)

Maybe this is cheating, but the 4 Nations Face-Off couldn’t be left off of this list. The round robin-style tournament will get underway on Feb. 13 and feature national teams constructed of players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. The tournament will replace the NHL All-Star Game in 2025, and it’ll mark the first time since 2014 that NHL players will suit up for international competition. Players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon haven’t had a chance to play in international games, so this will be a treat for hockey fans all over the world.

11. Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets (March 1)

The Winter Classic isn’t the league’s only foray into an outdoor game throughout the 2024-25 campaign. The Red Wings will take on the Blue Jackets at Ohio State’s infamous Ohio Stadium, otherwise known as “The Shoe.” The NHL has hosted games at iconic football stadiums in the past, including Michigan Stadium, the Cotton Bowl and Notre Dame Stadium. It’ll be fun to see an Original Six franchise like the Red Wings playing on a big stage.

12. Bruins at Panthers (Oct. 8)

The Panthers were a juggernaut throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and ended up winning it all. Florida will get a chance to raise its Stanley Cup banner and continue to celebrate that massive accomplishment. In terms of what’s happening on the ice, it’ll be a rematch of the second-round series between the Bruins and Panthers, which the Panthers won 4-2. Jeremy Swayman will be Boston’s No. 1 goaltender after the team traded Linus Ullmark to the Senators in the offseason, so that’ll be intriguing to see if Swayman continues to excel without Ullmark lurking over his shoulder.

13. Flames at Oilers (Oct. 13)

There are very rivalries bigger than the Flames and Oilers throughout the NHL. The “Battle of Alberta” can often become very competitive regardless of where either team currently is in the standings. While the Oilers won three of the four games against the Flames in 2023-24, each of the contests were extremely contested, and it’s certainly possible there will be more of the same this coming season, despite the Flames being in a rebuild mode of sorts.

14. Lightning at Penguins (Nov. 19)

Star winger Jake Guentzel was an integral part of the Penguins’ success in the 2010s and 2020s prior to the team trading him to the Hurricanes at the 2024 trade deadline. Guentzel has played in the Steel City since being traded as he suited up against the Penguins in a regular-season contest last March. However, it felt wrong to leave his return off the list. Guentzel helped the Penguins win a Stanley Cup in 2017, and he will likely always receive a thunderous ovation when he returns to Pittsburgh. On top of that, the Lightning and Penguins will be looking to make playoff pushes yet again in 2024-25, so this will be a very entertaining matchup.

15. Golden Knights at Capitals (Oct. 15)

This one is part of a bigger picture. Entering the 2024-25 season, Capitals standout Alex Ovechkin trails Wayne Gretzky by just 41 goals for the NHL’s all-time goals record. Due to history being within earshot, a lot of eyes will be on Ovechkin throughout the year. This also could be an intriguing contest due to the fact that it’s a rematch of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final when the Capitals defeated the Golden Knights. 

16. Panthers at Kraken (Dec. 10)

Defenseman Brandon Montour was an important part of the Panthers’ Stanley Cup-winning team last season. As is often the case for championship teams, they can’t keep everybody in the fold forever. Montour ended up signing a massive contract with the Kraken in free agency. This December showdown will be the first time that Montour will get to face his former team when they do battle in the Pacific Northwest. The Kraken will be looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs in 2023-24, so this could be a solid barometer of where they’re at in the first two months of the 2024-25 campaign.

17. Golden Knights at Panthers (Oct. 19)

After winning a Stanley Cup, the Panthers will certainly have a huge target on their back all season long as they defend their crown. The Panthers will be tested early on with matchups against the Bruins (twice), Canucks and Golden Knights. Vegas will be looking to bounce back with a deep Stanley Cup run after being eliminated in the opening round by the Stars last spring. This is one of those juggernaut showdowns that could end up being a Stanley Cup Final preview even if it’s in October.

18. Avalanche at Stars (Nov. 29)

Since the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, it’s been a pair of letdown postseason performances for the franchise. After dispatching of the Jets in five games in the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Stars were able to take down the Avalanche in six games. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hasn’t played since the team hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2022 due to multiple knee procedures. Landeskog should be back in the fold early on this season, and this matchup could be a playoff preview between two of the West’s better teams.

19. Maple Leafs at Bruins (Oct. 26)

The Stanley Cup Playoffs haven’t exactly been kind to the Maple Leafs in recent years. After finally winning a playoff series in 2023, the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the opening round of the 2024 postseason at the hands of the Bruins. It was certainly one of the more entertaining series in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, and that loss likely stung for Toronto. These two teams have had their fair share of wars over the years, so this is a matchup that has to be circled on the calendar.

20. Red Wings at Panthers (Jan. 16)

While the Panthers have their core group mostly still intact, another veteran flew the coop in free agency in the form of winger Vladimir Tarasenko. While Tarasenko may not be the elite scoring threat that he once was, he still offers a great deal of offensive prowess. Tarasenko landed with the Red Wings in free agency, so his first game against his old team is something worth watching. Detroit has also added an abundance of talent over the past two summers. This could be a great test to see where the Red Wings are in the pecking order of the Eastern Conference.