The two affected games include the Maple Leafs game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, December 4, which was scheduled to start at 7:30 PM EST and will now start at 7:00 PM EST. This is game #431 of the NHL season and it will be the second meeting between the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes of the season, with Toronto hosting Carolina on Sunday, November 9. The Hurricanes are currently 6-2-0 and were the last undefeated team in the league after starting the season 5-0-0.
The second game that will have an impact is the Maple Leafs’ game against the New York Islanders on Thursday, April 9. That match was originally scheduled to start at 7:00 PM EST and will now start at 6:45 PM EST. This is game #1252 of the NHL season and will be the third and final meeting of the season between the Maple Leafs and Islanders, with the Maple Leafs visiting them for the first time on January 3 and hosting them for the first and only time on St. Patrick’s Day. The Islanders are off to a mediocre start to the season, similar to the Maple Leafs, with a 4-3-1 record after eight games, but they boast the talents of star rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who was drafted first overall by the Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft and has seven points in his first nine games.
We’ve seen some early season start times for some Leafs games adjusted to accommodate the Toronto Blue Jays’ ongoing playoff run, including the start time of some games being pushed back by a few hours. That said, the reasoning behind these changes is unknown. These may just be a few minor changes for logistical purposes, something that may not impact the casual fan as much as the Blue Jays games, but regardless, be sure to adjust your schedule by half an hour on December 4 and by 15 minutes on April 9.
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