NHL releases expanded 84-game schedule for 2026-27 season

The National Hockey League has unveiled its schedule for the 2026-27 season, a campaign defined by the implementation of an 84-game regular season. The full slate of 1,344 games will conclude on Saturday, April 10.

The season commences on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, with an opening-night tripleheader on ESPN in the United States and a doubleheader on Sportsnet in Canada. The festivities begin at Lenovo Center, where the Carolina Hurricanes will raise their second Stanley Cup championship banner before hosting the Florida Panthers. Later that evening, the Montreal Canadiens travel to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs, while the New York Rangers visit the Boston Bruins. The night concludes with the Vancouver Canucks facing the Edmonton Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the Vegas Golden Knights.

Broadcasting duties for the season are split between The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC) and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT/TBS/TruTV) in the U.S., with Sportsnet serving as the Canadian partner. TNT’s coverage begins on Wednesday, Sept. 30, with a doubleheader featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings at the Colorado Avalanche.

A notable feature of the new schedule is the inclusion of Monday afternoon matinee games, designed to provide European fans with prime-time viewing opportunities. This initiative reflects the league's focus on international growth, which is furthered by the return of the NHL Global Series. The Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes will play two games in Helsinki, Finland, on Nov. 12 and 14, while the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks will compete in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Dec. 18 and 20.

Outdoor hockey remains a centerpiece of the league's event calendar. The 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens is set for Oct. 25 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. On New Year’s Eve, the Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche for the Discover NHL Winter Classic at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. The outdoor series continues on Feb. 20, 2027, with the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series in Arlington, Texas, where the Dallas Stars will play the Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium.

The 2027 NHL All-Star Weekend will be held at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Feb. 5 and 6. This year's event introduces a new format featuring five teams of 11 players each, representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States, and a "World" team, competing in a three-on-three round-robin tournament.

For the Ottawa Senators, the schedule includes a three-game opening road trip through Toronto, Boston, and Detroit, followed by a home opener on Oct. 8 against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Senators will manage 14 sets of back-to-back games and a six-game home stand at Canadian Tire Centre between Jan. 20 and Feb. 9.

The schedule features numerous high-profile divisional matchups to satisfy the expanded 84-game requirement, as the league moves toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which retain the existing 16-team format.