WATCH Capitals vs. Panthers Live Stream Online: NHL Top Division Teams 2015, Playoff Updates

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

The Washington Capitals battle it out on the ice against the Florida Panthers in Week 9 of the regular season on Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. EST from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the highly-anticipated Thursday evening hockey game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Now heading into mid-season, Washington maintains the impressive top spot in Joe McDonald's official NHL power rankings for ESPN.com, while Florida only lags a few behind (out of a total 30 teams):

Capitals (1): "The Capitals' six-game winning streak ended with Saturday's 2-1 OT loss to the Jets, but they continue to prove why they are a Stanley Cup contender. Before their loss to the Jets, the Capitals had defeated the Canadiens 3-2 Thursday night in Montreal."

Record: 19-5-2 (1st in Metropolitan Division).

Panthers (8): "Thanks to solid goaltending from Roberto Luongo, the Panthers jump significantly. Before losing 4-2 to the Devils on Sunday, Florida had a five-game winning streak, and the veteran goalie was in net for four of those wins."

Record: 13-11-4 (5th in Atlantic Division).

Tonight's monumental game will be broadcasted live on local sports channels FSFL and CSMA.

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 Capitals and Panthers.

Official NHL team websites: Capitals and Panthers.

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