For two NHL teams, regular season play for the 2024-25 season officially starts begins on Friday, October 4. The rest of the league, however, will have to wait a few days for regular season play to begin.
So, what’s the deal here?
You might have noticed that amidst the NHL’s preseason, two regular season games are being played by the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils in Europe. The first is on Friday, October 4 while the second is Saturday, October 5, both at the O2 Arena in Czechia.
The reason is because the NHL is kicking off the 2024-25 season with the NHL Global Series. Over the years, the NHL has put regular season games across the globe — from China to Sweden and more — in an effort to show off its product to other countries. The Global Series has been a thing off and on since 2017, with the NHL set to play games in 2024 in Czechia and Finland later this year.
JJ PETERKA SCORES‼️#NHLGlobalSeries | #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/4kTX8MzgSs
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 27, 2024
So, while the rest of the NHL finishes up their preseason, the Sabres and Devils will get things started for the 2024-25 campaign on October 4! The NHL’s regular season begins in North America on Tuesday, October 8 with a three-game slate, including a matchup featuring the most recent Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.
