The standard https check has it built-in with the right flags. Use -h or --help to figure it out. (They provide different output)
/usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_http --ssl -C 30 -H contracts.comcast.com
CRITICAL - Certificate expired on 05/08/2012 23:59.
openssl s_client -showcerts -connect contracts.comcast.com:443
*You may also need to specify the path to your certificates using something like: -CApath /etc/ssl/certs/To get the exact expiration date, it appears you have to do:
1) download cert:
openssl s_client -connect hostname:port > cert.pem
2) verify date: openssl x509 -in cert.pem -noout -enddat