NHL schedule release: Lightning-Penguins, Kraken-Knights Oct. 12 Field Level Media 23 Jul 2021, 09:19 GMT+10 The NHL revealed its schedule for the 2021-22 regular season Thursday evening, highlighted by the introduction of the league's 32nd team, the Seattle Kraken. The expansion Kraken will make their regular-season debut Oct. 12 by visiting the league's most recent expansion club, the Vegas Golden Knights. Two weeks later, they will open their home digs, Climate Pledge Arena, on Oct. 23 against the Vancouver Canucks. The Seattle-Vegas game is the nightcap of an opening-night doubleheader Oct. 12 that kicks off when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Pittsburgh Penguins and hang their second straight Stanley Cup banner. Both games will air on ESPN in the U.S., after the league's TV rights for the next seven years were bought up by both ESPN and Turner Sports this summer.