NHL announces time changes to five games in 2025-26

On Monday, the NHL announced that the start times of five games in the 2025-26 season have been adjusted.

The first day in question is on Thursday, Dec. 4. On that night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to visit the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center. That game was originally scheduled to begin a little after 7:30 p.m. ET. The start time has been moved up to 7 p.m. ET.

It will be the second of three meetings between Carolina and Toronto, and the lone matchup in Raleigh. The Maple Leafs will host the Hurricanes on Nov. 9.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are facing off that same night in Ohio’s capital. That game has been moved from a 7 p.m. ET start time to 7:30 p.m. ET. It will also be the only time the former division rivals will meet in Columbus, as the Red Wings host the Blue Jackets on Nov. 22 and April 7.

Those games are two of 10 scheduled matchups for Dec. 4.

Speaking of the Wings, their April 9 matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena has been bumped back from 6:30 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET. Detroit is already scheduled to host the Flyers on March 28. The two teams will meet in the City of Brotherly Love on April 2.

That same day, the Maple Leafs are visiting the New York Islanders on Long Island. That game has been adjusted from 7 p.m. ET to 6:45 p.m. ET. It will be the third and final matchup between the two teams, with the Isles also hosting the Leafs on Jan. 3.

April 9 is the second-to-last day of regular-season play, with 28 of the 32 teams in action.

The final game moved around is the Dec. 11 clash between the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. The nationally-televised game has been moved from 9 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET. It will be the first of two meetings between two of the best teams in the NHL.