NHL 2026-27 Season: Opening Night, 84-Game Schedule and Key Dates
The 2026-27 NHL season starts on Tuesday, September 29, when the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes raise their banner against the Florida Panthers on ESPN. It is the league's first 84-game season in more than three decades. Key dates: Heritage Classic on October 25, Global Series in Finland and Germany, Winter Classic on December 31, All-Star Weekend on Long Island on February 5-6. Sources: NHL.com, ESPN, CBS Sports.
The context
An 84-game season opens on September 29
The 2026-27 NHL season opens on Tuesday, September 29, a little earlier than usual, and it is also a longer season than any in a generation: this is the league’s first 84-game season in more than three decades, two games more per team than in recent years. The first night is packed: an ESPN tripleheader from Raleigh, Boston and Las Vegas, plus Toronto-Montreal and Edmonton-Vancouver on Sportsnet in Canada. TNT follows on Wednesday with Pittsburgh at Philadelphia and Los Angeles at Colorado.
The opening game is a banner night. The Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup, beating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, with Jordan Staal becoming the oldest Conn Smythe winner and Brandon Bussi closing the series with a Game 6 shutout. They raise the banner against the Florida Panthers, the team that had won the two Cups before theirs. Vegas, the beaten finalists, open at home to Chicago.
The calendar has the usual special events. The Heritage Classic sends Winnipeg and Montreal outdoors on October 25. The Global Series goes to Finland in November (Carolina vs Seattle) and Germany in December (Ottawa vs Chicago). The Winter Classic on December 31 is Utah against Colorado, All-Star Weekend is on Long Island on February 5-6, and the Stadium Series on February 20 matches Dallas and Vegas.
For fans, the practical change is simple: more games, an earlier start, and the same broadcasters, ESPN and TNT in the United States, Sportsnet in Canada.
Sources: NHL.com, ESPN, CBS Sports, Wikipedia.
People also ask
True or false?
Yes, two more than before, for the first time in over thirty years. (NHL.com)
Florida won in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 Cup went to Carolina, who beat Vegas in six games. (CBS Sports)
Ottawa and Chicago meet twice in December as part of the Global Series. (NHL.com)
The opposite: puck drop is September 29, ahead of the usual early-October start. (NHL.com)
Nobody knows in September. The last team to repeat was Florida, in 2025. (NHL.com)