St. Louis Blues at Seattle Kraken (4:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN360, TVAS)
The retooled Blues and new-look Kraken will open Monday's tripleheader at Climate Pledge Arena. This offseason, St. Louis added forwards Dylan Holloway, Radek Faksa, Alexandre Texier and Mathieu Joseph, and defensemen Philip Broberg, Ryan Suter and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Seattle added forward Chandler Stephenson, defenseman Brandon Montour and coach Dan Bylsma, who is back in the NHL as a coach for the first time since 2016-17 with the Buffalo Sabres. Assistant Jessica Campbell, who accompanied Bylsma to the Kraken following two seasons as his assistant with Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League, will become the first woman to work behind an NHL bench as an assistant, associate or coach.
Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS)
Florida begins its Stanley Cup defense against a familiar rival in Boston. The Panthers defeated the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past two seasons, winning in seven games in the first round in 2023 -- after the Bruins set the NHL record for wins (65) and points (135) in a season -- and in six games in the second round last season. Before the puck is dropped, the Panthers will raise their first championship banner and reflect one final time on their journey to the Cup. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who missed all of training camp before signing an eight-year, $66 million contract ($8.25 million average annual value) on Sunday, could start after practicing on Monday. If he doesn’t, Joonas Korpisalo is expected to get the nod.
Chicago Blackhawks at Utah Hockey Club (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS)
Utah will make its NHL debut by hosting Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks at Delta Center. Utah, which acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, which became inactive due to its arena situation, has high hopes entering its inaugural season with a promising core of young players, led by newly named captain Clayton Keller. Bedard, who was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, begins his second season with raised expectations. The 19-year-old center won the Calder Trophy last season after leading rookies in goals (22) and points (61) in 68 games. Like Utah, Chicago will also have a new captain in Nick Foligno after going without one last season.
