NHL Releases 2026-27 Schedule Expanding Season to 84 Games

The NHL released its 2026-27 regular-season schedule Thursday, expanding the campaign from 82 to 84 games. Opening night moves to Sept. 29, when the Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup championship banner before facing the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m.

ET on ESPN. The new collective bargaining agreement with players begins its four-year term on Sept. 16 and supports the added games. Each team will play two home and two road games against its seven division rivals, two home games and one road game against four conference opponents, and one home game and two road games against the remaining four conference opponents.

Every team will also play each opponent from the opposite conference once at home and once on the road, producing 42 home games and 42 away games. Nearly two dozen Monday afternoon games are included to serve as primetime contests in European markets. The New York Rangers visit the Boston Bruins at 8 p.m.

On Sept. 29, and the Chicago Blackhawks face the Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m. the same night. All 32 teams play on Oct. 1. The revamped All-Star Weekend is scheduled at UBS Arena on Long Island.

A skills competition with 10 players age 25 and younger takes place on Feb. 5, followed by a 3-on-3 tournament on Feb. 6 featuring teams from Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a World squad.

Outdoor games include the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic on Oct. 25 at Princess Auto Stadium and the Utah Mammoth hosting the Colorado Avalanche in the Winter Classic on Dec. 31 at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium.