NHL Schedule 2017-18: League Releases Official Regular-Season Slate

The NHL announced its regular-season slate of games for the 2017-18 season, which is set to open on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Four games will take place that night, highlighted by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins facing the St. Louis Blues.

Other games that evening will include the Toronto Maple Leafs facing the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks taking on the Philadelphia Flyers.

The schedule release came a day after the NHL awards on Wednesday night and the expansion draft for the league's newest franchise, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, which added players like former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, former Washington Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt and former Nashville Predators forward James Neal, among others.

On Friday and Saturday, the league will hold its annual draft in Chicago. 

But the schedule took center stage Thursday, and a few games in particular are worth highlighting. For one, the Golden Knights will make their NHL debut Friday, Oct. 6 against the Dallas Stars and their home debut on Tuesday, Oct. 10 against the Arizona Coyotes.

Additionally, the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators will play "a pair of regular-season games in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11 at Ericsson Globe in the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series, marking the sixth time the NHL has traveled to Europe to play regular-season games and the first such time since the 2011 Compuware NHL Premiere," per NHL.com.

The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens will play outdoors at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa on Saturday, Dec. 16 in the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic, while the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1 will feature the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers and the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series will be played outdoors at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis between the Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The All-Star break will take place between Jan. 26-29, and the regular season will conclude on Saturday, April 7.