NHL’s Coyotes, Kings to Play Preseason Games in Australia

The two games will mark the start of the 2023–24 preseason.

The NHL is headed to Australia for the first time in the league’s history as the Coyotes and Kings will travel to Melbourne to begin the 2023–24 season.

The teams will compete in two games at Rod Laver Arena, where the famed Australian Open tennis tournament is played. The games will take place on Sept. 23 and 24 to start the NHL preseason. The games will be played at 2 p.m. local time.

For fans in the Pacific Time Zone, the games will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 and Saturday, Sept. 23. 

The 111-game NHL preseason will last 15 days and be contested across 44 different NHL and neutral-site locations.

• Get your seats to NHL games with SI Tickets

Other notable neutral sites for the upcoming NHL preseason include San Diego (Ducks vs. Kings, Sept. 29), Halifax, Nova Scotia (Penguins vs. Senators, Oct. 2) and Orlando (Panthers vs. Lightning, Oct. 3).

The official 2023–24 NHL season will begin Oct. 10.