Looking for the five opening-night games and where to watch them? See our opening-night watch guide. This page focuses on home openers and the 84-game format.
NHL 2026/27 home openers: all 32 teams and the key dates
The 2026/27 NHL season starts on Tuesday 29 September with five games, a banner raised in Raleigh and the first 84-game campaign in league history.
Quick answers
- The 2026/27 NHL regular season begins on Tuesday 29 September 2026 with five games.
- The season is 84 games — the first time the league has played more than 82, with two extra divisional games per team.
- Carolina raise their second Stanley Cup banner before facing Florida at 17:00 ET.
- Opening night includes two Original Six matchups: Montreal at Toronto and the Rangers at Boston.
- A second national doubleheader follows on Wednesday 30 September on TNT.
- The regular season ends in April 2027; the Stanley Cup Playoffs follow.
The short answer. Five games on 29 September, spread across four US and Canadian networks, open an 84-game season. The headline is Carolina raising the banner and then playing the team that won the two Cups before them — a Florida side that missed the playoffs last season and has since added Brady Tkachuk to play alongside his brother Matthew. Two Original Six games fill the middle of the night, and the season is 84 games for the first time.
Opening night: five games, 29 September
All times Eastern.
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:00 | Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | ESPN | Stanley Cup banner night in Raleigh |
| 19:00 | Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs | Sportsnet | Original Six |
| 20:00 | New York Rangers at Boston Bruins | ESPN | Original Six |
| 22:00 | Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers | Sportsnet | Pacific Division |
| 22:30 | Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights | ESPN | Western Conference |
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What is new this season
The 2026/27 campaign is 84 games, not 82. Each team plays two additional games against divisional opponents, which tilts the schedule slightly further toward rivalries and away from the cross-conference fixtures that were already rare.
It matters at the margins: eight extra points of separation inside a division, and a slightly harder path for teams in the strongest divisions to bank points outside them.
Five things to watch on opening night
Carolina’s second banner
The Hurricanes raise their second Stanley Cup banner before facing Florida. It is the shortest possible gap between a title and a measuring-stick game: the team that won the Cup in 2026 against the team that won it in 2024 and 2025.
The Tkachuk brothers, finally together
Florida missed the playoffs last season after injuries stripped the roster, and responded by trading for Brady Tkachuk so he can play alongside his brother Matthew. A team that reached three straight Cup Finals and won two of them now has the league’s most-watched sibling pairing.
Two Original Six games in one night
Montreal at Toronto (19:00 ET) and the Rangers at Boston (20:00 ET) give opening night two of the oldest rivalries in the sport back to back — the sort of scheduling the 84-game format makes easier to fit.
Florida’s health, and one absence
The Panthers’ whole season turned on availability last year. This time the concern is smaller but real: Brad Marchand is expected to miss the start of the season with an unspecified injury.
A West Coast nightcap
Chicago at Vegas closes the night at 22:30 ET, which means the opening night runs roughly five and a half hours from the first puck drop to the last — the longest opening night the league has scheduled.
Wednesday: the second national doubleheader
| Time (ET) | Matchup |
|---|---|
| 19:30 | Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers |
| 22:00 | Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche |
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Every team’s home opener
All 32 clubs, by the date of their first home game. Five teams open at home on the first night, and Florida — the last of them to do so — do not play at home until 10 October.
| Date | Home openers |
|---|---|
| Tue 29 Sep | Boston (vs NY Rangers) · Carolina (vs Florida) · Edmonton (vs Vancouver) · Toronto (vs Montreal) · Vegas (vs Chicago) |
| Wed 30 Sep | Colorado (vs Los Angeles) · Philadelphia (vs Pittsburgh) |
| Thu 1 Oct | Calgary (vs Seattle) · Columbus (vs Buffalo) · Nashville (vs Minnesota) · New Jersey (vs Philadelphia) · NY Rangers (vs Tampa Bay) · San Jose (vs Florida) · Utah (vs Chicago) · Vancouver (vs Edmonton) |
| Fri 2 Oct | Dallas (vs St. Louis) · Detroit (vs NY Rangers) · Winnipeg (vs Boston) |
| Sat 3 Oct | Buffalo (vs Chicago) · Minnesota (vs Boston) · NY Islanders (vs New Jersey) · Pittsburgh (vs Montreal) · Tampa Bay (vs Washington) |
| Sun 4 Oct | Anaheim (vs Florida) · Seattle (vs Calgary) |
| Tue 6 Oct | Chicago (vs St. Louis) · Los Angeles (vs Florida) · Montreal (vs Carolina) |
| Wed 7 Oct | Washington (vs Pittsburgh) |
| Thu 8 Oct | Ottawa (vs Philadelphia) · St. Louis (vs San Jose) |
| Sat 10 Oct | Florida (vs Minnesota) |
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Two things stand out from the schedule. Florida open at home eleven days after the season starts, which means the team that won the Cup in 2024 and 2025 begins with a long road stretch. And five of the league’s 32 home openers fall on 29 September alone — the busiest opening night the league has scheduled.
More on the opening schedule
When is each NHL team’s home opener?
Five teams open at home on 29 September: Boston, Carolina, Edmonton, Toronto and Vegas. The rest follow through 10 October, when Florida stage the last home opener of the opening stretch.
Why does the NHL season have 84 games?
The league added two more divisional games per team, so each club plays two extra games against rivals inside its own division — taking the season from 82 to 84 games and from 1,312 to 1,344 total games.
The shirts
Current home jerseys for the clubs opening the season — printed names and numbers made to order.
Carolina Hurricanes Alternate Premium Jersey, Red
Florida Panthers Home Premium Jersey, Red
Toronto Maple Leafs Youth Home Premier Jersey, Blue
Boston Bruins Home Premium Jersey - Black
New York Rangers Alternate Premium Jersey - Navy
Edmonton Oilers Home Breakaway Blank Jersey, Royal
When does the 2026/27 NHL season start?
How many games is the 2026/27 NHL season?
Which teams play on NHL opening night?
Who won the 2026 Stanley Cup?
Did the Florida Panthers make a trade?
When is the second night of the season?
Shop NHL jerseys
Home jerseys for the clubs opening the season — printed names and numbers made to order, shipped worldwide.
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