WATCH Panthers vs. Capitals Live Stream Online: NHL Top Division Rivals 2016, Playoff Updates

Hockey's back for the official 2015-2016 NHL season, so get ready, MstarsNews readers!

The Florida Panthers battle it out on the ice against the Washington Capitals in Week 17 of the regular season on Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. EST from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the highly-anticipated Tuesday evening hockey game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Now heading into mid-season, both Washington and Flordia maintain extremely impressive spots in Pierre LeBrun's official NHL power rankings for ESPN.com (out of a total 30 teams):

Capitals (2): "The Capitals looked out of sync last week in a loss to Philadelphia in their first game after a few snow postponements. Let's see if they're still rusty Tuesday at home against the high-flying Panthers. They'll be playing that game sans Alex Ovechkin."

Record: 35-8-4 (1st in Metropolitan Division).

Panthers (6): "So the question as the post All-Star break begins: Can the surprising Atlantic Division-leading Panthers hold off in-state rival Tampa Bay for the division crown?"

Record: 29-15-5 (1st in Atlantic Division).

Tonight's big game will be broadcasted live on your local NBCS sports channel.

For fans who want to try out a free live stream (which may mean downloading a torrent), click here. Also try this or another option.

And here's more info on current Division standings.

For a one-time fee, fans can access a NHL Gamecenter Live pass.

ESPN, ESPN Scoreboard, and NHL.com  are both good sources for up-to-date game coverage and feeds.

More radio listening options for Capitals and Panthers.

Official NHL team websites: Capitals and Panthers.

Enjoy this evening's exciting hockey game from the East Coast, and always stick with MstarsNews for even more NHL gameday coverage later this week. Which top division rival will snag the win tonight?