WATCH Stars vs. Blackhawks Live Stream Online, NHL 2014 Opening Week: Listen To Free Hockey Coverage From Dallas, Power Rankings

It's finally that time of year - hockey season!

The Dallas Stars battle it out on the ice against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of each team series on Thursday, October 9 at 8:30 p.m. EST at Texas' American Airlines Center. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the "Opening Week" hockey game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Heading into the 2014 regular season, the Stars snag the No. 7 spot in ESPN.com's official NHL power rankings:

"The Stars are another sexy pick to make some noise in the West this year. Adding Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky will do that for you. Still not sold on the defense, and the team will need to take some pressure off Kari Lehtonen if the Stars are going to move into the high-rent district in the conference."

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks currently hold the No. 2 spot (out of 30 total teams):

"The Hawks spent all summer lamenting their Game 7 loss in the conference finals to the Kings -- at home and in overtime no less -- and we're guessing payback is going to fuel a terrific start for them. We're especially curious about Brad Richards' impact."

The game will be broadcasted live on CSNC and FSSW, but fans can also listen in on the radio at 1310 The Ticket and WGN.

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.

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 Stars and Blackhawks.

Official NHL team websites: Stars and Blackhawks.

Enjoy the hockey game!