Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan will get his first meeting against his former team out of the way early.
The NHL unveiled its three-game Opening Night slate for the 2025-26 season on Monday, revealing that the Blueshirts will take on the Penguins in their first game of the season on Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
Sullivan, who helped deliver two Stanley Cups to the Steel City over the last 10 years, will be on the opposing bench of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang for the first time since he was an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14.
The matchup will also feature the trade-off of other notable coaches as well.
After serving as an assistant on Peter Laviolette’s staff the last two seasons in New York, Dan Muse was named Sullivan’s successor as head coach of the Penguins on June 4.
Additionally, David Quinn — once head coach of the Rangers from 2018-21 — followed Sullivan from Pittsburgh to New York to work on his staff with the Blueshirts.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, will face the Blackhawks at 5 p.m. as they raise their second championship banner at Amerant Bank Arena.
To complete the Opening Night lineup, the Avalanche will also visit the Kings at 10:30 p.m.
The rest of the NHL schedule is set to come out on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
