The New York Rangers finally have the chance to put last season behind them and look ahead. On Tuesday night, the Rangers officially open the 2025-26 season at Madison Square Garden, as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is also their 100th season of existence, so the team will be having a "centennial celebration" throughout the year, which includes throwback alternate uniforms.
This is the Rangers coaching debut for head coach Mike Sullivan, who the team hired this past offseason after firing Peter Laviolette. Ironically, his debut will be against his former team in the Penguins, who he won two Stanley Cup championships with.
There will also be some new faces on the Raners roster, such as new top defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and preseason rookie standout Noah Laba. But the team will be relatively the same as last year's, with J.T. Miller ushering in a new era as the team's 29th captain.
What time is the New York Rangers game on today? (October 7th)
The Rangers are set to be one of the premier games on the NHL's Opening Night schedule. There are three games set to air on ESPN, with Rangers vs. Penguins scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
While that's all well and good, there may be some confusion to start, especially if the 5:00 p.m. ET Florida Panthers vs. Chicago Blackhawks game runs long and heads to overtime. If that game goes on beyond 8:00 p.m. ET, it's entirely likely that the start of the Rangers vs. Penguins game could air on another ESPN channel, such as ESPN2 or ESPN News.
Here's everything you need to know to catch today's game:
- Date: Tuesday, October 7th
- Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
- Location: Madison Square Garden | New York, N.Y.
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Announcers: Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro
- Radio: ESPN 880 AM (NY)
- Live Stream: ESPN+ | Fubo
Remember there will be no local broadcasts of the Rangers game with either Kenny Albert or Dave Maloney since it will be exclusively on the ESPN national broadcast.