The Vegas Golden Knights start the hockey season with a bang. What does October hold for the Golden Knights?

Mark your calendars for October 9, Vegas Golden Knights fans. The beloved team will start the season at T-Mobile Arena against Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Nathan MacKinnon, and the Colorado Avalanche. It’ll be a battle of the last two teams from the Western Conference to hoist Lord Stanley, with the action happening on TNT (a.k.a. the network that lost its NBA broadcasting rights to Amazon).

It’s a tough loss for the network, losing out on their sports cash cow. However, Golden Knights fans will delight in seeing Warner Bros. Discovery focus more heavily on hockey content, especially since names like Paul Bissonnette have become relevant. That means more coverage for Vegas and seeing their favorite team possibly win another Stanley Cup.

But let’s focus on October for a bit. It’s where the weather starts cooling off, meaning no more face-melting summers and burning to a crisp. Football will be in full swing with the Raiders playing. However, the hockey team will be center stage. With fans finally filing back into T-Mobile Arena for a new hockey session, it’s time to see what the schedule holds for the Golden Knights.

What will be the toughest part of the starting month? Where will the easy part lie for Vegas? It’s imperative for an NHL team to get off on the right foot, especially against strong competition. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck in a hole they’ll never escape. Here’s what’s in store for the Golden Knights to start the season.

What the October schedule looks like for the Vegas Golden Knights, starting with the Avalanche

To provide perspective on what the Vegas Golden Knights will face in the opening month, here’s a complete list of games for Vegas in October.

• Vs. Colorado Avalanche, October 9, 7 PM PST (TNT)
• Vs. St. Louis Blues, October 11, 7 PM PST
• Vs. Anaheim Ducks, October 13, 7 PM PST
• At Washington Capitals, October 15, 4 PM PST
• At Tampa Bay Lightning, October 17, 4 PM PST
• At Florida Panthers, October 19, 3 PM PST
• Vs. Los Angeles Kings, October 22, 8 PM PST
• Vs. Ottawa Senators, October 25, 3 PM PST
• Vs. San Jose Sharks, October 26, 7 PM PST
• Vs. Calgary Flames, October 28, 7 PM PST
• At Los Angeles Kings, October 30, 7:30 PM PST

The hard part of the schedule will be the first Eastern Time Zone road trip where the Golden Knights will play against three Stanley Cup playoff teams from last season. It consists of a reunion with Logan Thompson, a date with a newly revamped Lightning offense (featuring Jake Guentzel), and the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. The Golden Knights have gotten off to hot starts in past seasons, but that could be in jeopardy to start the season.

That’s especially true with Vegas facing off against Nathan MacKinnon and crew to start the season. Colorado won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and still has a dominant lineup. That includes Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, who could lead the team in scoring with MacKinnon again. They could be in the running for the Western Conference’s top spot with the Golden Knights this season.

The easy part comes at T-Mobile Arena for some home cooking

As for the easy part? The remaining part of the first home stretch features games against the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. These are two winnable games that Vegas can take advantage of for points. But there’s also the homestand after the East Coast trip that’s also easy.

The Los Angeles Kings don’t have offensive bite and the last three games at T-Mobile Arena against last season’s non-playoff teams provide an opportunity for points. A Hollywood date on October 30 could also net two points, given Los Angeles doesn’t have the same bite as a team like Colorado.

Overall, the end of October could give the Vegas Golden Knights a boost in the standings, padding their points for the stretch run. That’s what happened in the past two seasons, where Vegas got off to incredible starts. Of course, it starts on October 9, where two points against a solid Avalanche team can get them on the right foot.