Stanley Cup finalists Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning will face off twice in a six-day period in February as one of the highlights of the 2022-23 NHL schedule released Wednesday.

The Avalanche won their third Stanley Cup by outlasting the Lightning in six games. The teams will play Feb. 9 in Tampa before meeting again Feb. 14 in Denver.

The Avalanche will raise their championship banner on Oct. 12 when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.

The season will begin with the NHL Global Series on Oct. 7-8 in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks will compete in two games, the NHL's first in Europe since 2019.

Games in North America begin on Oct. 11 with the Lightning visiting the New York Rangers and the Vegas Golden Knights playing at the Los Angeles Kings. The Lightning beat the Rangers in six games in last season's Eastern Conference finals.

The Global Series also will feature games in Tampere, Finland on Nov. 4-5 between the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets.

On Nov. 25, the Thanksgiving Showdown doubleheader is on tap. The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Philadelphia Flyers, while the St. Louis Blues play at Tampa Bay, one day after the late November holiday.

On Dec. 5, new Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy returns to Boston to coach against the Bruins. Cassidy guided Boston to the 2019 Stanley Cup final before losing to the Blues in seven games.

One day later, Paul Maurice returns to Winnipeg as coach of the Florida Panthers. Maurice won a franchise-record 315 games in nine seasons with the Jets.

The outdoor Winter Classic will be held at famed Fenway Park on Jan. 2 when the Bruins host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The NHL All-Star Game is Feb. 4 at Sunrise, Fla., home of the Florida Panthers. The All-Star Skills competition will be Feb. 3.

On Feb. 18, an outdoor Stadium Series game will be played at Carter-Finley Stadium on the North Carolina State campus in Raleigh. The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Washington Capitals.

The regular season concludes April 13 with 15 games.

--Field Level Media