Early season hockey that actually feels like it matters. Penguins and Stars go tonight and if you're not locked in yet, fix that.

All the TV and streaming info, start time included, is laid out right here, so no excuses. Check the listing for your market, because the national vs. local broadcast thing gets weird depending on where you live, and nothing ruins puck drop like spending the first period fighting with your streaming app.

But take a second with these two rosters. To my eye Dallas is just a deep, relentless hockey team, the kind that keeps coming at you in waves. Can't back that up with a spreadsheet right now, it's just what I see when I watch them. And Pittsburgh is in that strange beautiful in-between, the Crosby era twilight, every game a little ceremony whether anyone says it out loud or not. You don't need me to tell you to cherish these. But I'll say it anyway. Cherish these.

Sidney Crosby playing a random October road game in Dallas is one of those things you'll remember getting to watch way more than any standings point. I mean, being a hockey fan keeps getting pricier every year, more apps, more channels, more subscriptions between you and the game, and it's worth ten minutes of setup to make sure you can actually see this one.

So. TV info, stream info, start time, all in the MSN listing. Get it sorted before warmups.

One thing from me though, and it has nothing to do with the broadcast: watch the first ten minutes. Stars games tend to announce themselves early. If Dallas comes out flying and the Penguins weather it, you're getting a game. If Pittsburgh flips it and scores first on the road, the whole building tightens up and it gets real interesting, real fast.

I'll be watching. Probably yelling at the TV. If the Penguins win in Dallas I will absolutely be emotional about an aging captain doing aging-captain things, and I will not be apologizing for it.