The National Hockey League has officially released its complete 1,344-game schedule for the 2026-27 regular season. Marking a significant shift in the hockey calendar, the league has expanded to an 84-game format for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign.
The historic season will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 29, which is the earliest start date in NHL history for games played in North America. The grueling regular season will conclude on Saturday, April 10, with all 32 franchises in action.
The complete 2026-27 #NHL regular season schedule has been released. Notable dates and how the new schedule matrix works with the league’s first 84-game regular season since 1993-94: pic.twitter.com/Okpy9bybcP
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 16, 2026
To accommodate the expanded format, each division will continue to feature eight teams, but the math has shifted to incorporate two additional divisional matchups. The 84-game matrix breaks down as follows:
Within Division: 28 total games, consisting of two home and two away games against all seven divisional opponents.
Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 total games, playing four teams twice at home and once away, and the other four teams once at home and twice away.
Non-Conference: 32 total games, consisting of one home and one away game against each of the 16 teams.
The Sept. 29 opening night will feature a massive tripleheader broadcast on ESPN in the United States and a doubleheader on Sportsnet in Canada.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes will raise their second championship banner at Lenovo Center before hosting the Florida Panthers.
The Montreal Canadiens will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for an Original Six clash at Scotiabank Arena.
The New York Rangers will face the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
The Vancouver Canucks will visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
The Chicago Blackhawks will travel to T-Mobile Arena to play the Vegas Golden Knights.
The NHL is also bringing back a robust slate of outdoor and international events for the 2026-27 season:
Oct. 25: The Winnipeg Jets will host the Montreal Canadiens outdoors in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
Nov. 12 & 14: The NHL Global Series travels to Helsinki, Finland, where the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken will face off in a pair of games at Veikkaus Arena.
Dec. 18 & 20: The Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks will headline the NHL Global Series Germany with regular-season games at PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf.
Dec. 21: The Vegas Golden Knights will host the Carolina Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena in the first rematch of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Dec. 31: The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL Winter Classic at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Jan. 17: The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Vegas Golden Knights at Lenovo Center in their second and final Stanley Cup rematch of the regular season.
Feb. 5-6: The NHL All-Star Weekend returns to UBS Arena on Long Island.
Feb. 20: The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights will play in the Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.