The National Hockey League's 2026-27 regular season starts Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, with a five-game slate. This opening date ties for the earliest start in league history and is only the second time the NHL has begun its season in September.
The league expands to an 84-game schedule for each team, up from 82 games. This marks the first 84-game season since 1993-94 and the third time in league history an 84-game format has been used, following the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. The addition of two games per team required an earlier season start and a shortened preseason. Each team gains one home game and one road game against divisional opponents, resulting in a league-wide total of 1,344 games, an all-time high for the NHL.
The regular season spans 194 days across 185 separate game days. The Carolina Hurricanes will raise their Stanley Cup banner before the 5 p.m. ET opener on Sept. 29. Two additional games are scheduled for Sept. 30: the Penguins at the Flyers and the Kings at the Avalanche, both on TNT.
The 2026-27 season will run without an Olympic break. The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics concluded in February 2026. This marks the first uninterrupted NHL calendar in three years.
Beyond the holiday and All-Star breaks, the schedule includes only two dark days all season: Nov. 20 and Nov. 26.
The NHL All-Star Game returns Feb. 6, after being shelved for two years. The event was replaced by the Four Nations Face-Off in 2025 and the Olympics in 2026. The new format will feature five teams—Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a World side—each with 11 players. Teams will compete in four five-minute round-robin games, with the top two advancing to a ten-minute final. The winning All-Star team will split a $2 million prize, and the Skills champion will receive $1 million. The Islanders will host the All-Star Game for the second time in franchise history, with their only previous hosting duties in 1983.
Hockey will be played on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, for the first time since 2015. The holiday break runs from Dec. 23 to Dec. 25, a shift from the usual Dec. 24 to Dec. 26 period.
A New Year's Eve game is scheduled in Salt Lake City. This game ensures all 32 NHL franchises will have played an outdoor game. The Blackhawks and Blues previously played a Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Dec. 31, 2024.
Main training camps for all teams are set to open between Sept. 16 and Sept. 17, with specific dates varying by franchise.
