NHL On Tap: Celebrini to play first game as Sharks captain against Panthers

There are eight games on the NHL schedule for Thursday, including two of which are nationally televised in the United States and one in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Captain Celebrini

Macklin Celebrini will make his debut as captain of the San Jose Sharks when they host the Florida Panthers at SAP Center at San Jose (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSCA, TVAS). The 20-year-old center was named Sharks captain Sept. 25. He is the youngest active captain in the NHL and the youngest in San Jose history. Celebrini was fourth in the NHL with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) last season, his second in the League, and will try to help San Jose qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019. He was selected by San Jose with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Hughes season opener

Jack Hughes, the overtime hero for Team USA in the gold-medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, will make his season debut when the New Jersey Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+). The 25-year-old forward is starting his eighth NHL season and has an opportunity to reach 500 points faster than any player in Devils franchise history. Hughes has 428 points (168 goals, 260 assists) in 429 games since he was selected by New Jersey with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He led New Jersey with 77 points (27 goals, 50 assists) in 61 games last season. The Flyers are coming off a 7-0 loss at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener Wednesday.

Mammoth debut

Olympic gold medalist Vincent Trocheck will make play his first game with the Utah Mammoth when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center (9:30 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+). The 33-year-old forward was acquired by Utah in a trade with the New York Rangers on July 1. Trocheck joins fellow Team USA gold medallist Clayton Keller in Utah. Keller, the Mammoth's captain, led them in scoring with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists) in 82 games last season. Utah forward Dylan Guenther can become the fourth player in NHL history to score a goal in each of a franchise’s first three season openers. The Mammoth qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their second season in Utah and lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference First Round.

Hot start for Bouchard

Evan Bouchard will look to build on his historic opening night when the Edmonton Oilers travel to face the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena (10 p.m. ET; SN1, SNP) in the second game of a home-and-home series. The Oilers defenseman had a hat trick and two assists in a 6-5 overtime loss in Edmonton on Tuesday in the season opener for each team. It was the first time a defenseman had five points in a season opener and the first time one scored three goals since Mark Howe did it for the Hartford Whalers to open the 1980-81 season. Bouchard led NHL defensemen last season with 95 points (21 goals, 74 assists) in 82 games.

Streak of Lightning

Nikita Kucherov has an opportunity to extend his streak of multigoal games in season openers to four when the Tampa Bay Lightning travel to play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, MSG, TVAS). The Tampa Bay forward has seven goals in his previous three season openers; he scored two in a 5-4 loss against the Ottawa Senators last season, had a hat trick and an assist in a 4-1 win at the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25, and scored two goals in a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators to begin the 2023-24 season. Kucherov could become the first player in Lightning history to start four consecutive seasons with multigoal games. Kucherov was second in the NHL last season with 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 games, and won the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player.

The schedule

Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+)

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, MSG, TVAS)

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; CBJHN, CBJNHL, MSG-B)

Minnesota Wild at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; Wild+, MINNHL, SCRIPPS)

Seattle Kraken at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, KONG, Prime Video)

Chicago Blackhawks at Utah Mammoth (9:30 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+)

Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SN1, SNP)

Florida Panthers at San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSCA, TVAS)