{"id":493750,"date":"2026-07-15T18:48:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T22:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=493750"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T22:48:05","slug":"2026-27-nhl-schedule-dates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/15\/2026-27-nhl-schedule-dates\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Dates Revealed for 2026-27 NHL Schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026-27 NHL schedule is<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/news\/nhl-home-openers-for-2026-27-season\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> slowly being revealed<\/a>. In a release from the league, key dates were announced for the beginning of the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season. This includes a tripleheader and banner raising for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/06\/27\/john-carlson-rights\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> on Sept. 29 as part of a tripleheader.<\/p>\n<p>Other parts of the 2026-27 NHL schedule release confirm all home openers for the 32 teams. It also contains the dates for the NHL Global Series international games, the 2027 NHL All-Star Games, and the outdoor matchups.<\/p>\n<p>This year will also be the first season where the slate is 84 games per team. Let&#8217;s take a look at the rest of the early items on the 2026-27 NHL schedule release.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:pzt2hepn3ta77cjehoyec6xn\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mqpqffbsnd2p\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreifjyeko6mc7fwa3e4xmqm7jqhjzuvtjaxolxe2iu2mmvtjweogacm\">\n<p>The NHL expanded its regular-season schedule to 84 games beginning this season, meaning the Canes will celebrate their title in September.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; <a  href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:pzt2hepn3ta77cjehoyec6xn?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The News &amp; Observer (@newsobserver.com)<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:pzt2hepn3ta77cjehoyec6xn\/post\/3mqpqffbsnd2p?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2026-07-15T22:10:17Z<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.bsky.app\/static\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>2026-27 NHL Schedule Released<\/h2>\n<h4>Opening Week<\/h4>\n<p>The season will start on Sept. 29 with the Hurricanes hosting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/01\/radko-gudas-signs-panthers\/\" target=\"_self\">Florida Panthers<\/a> in a battle of the last three Stanley Cup champions. This game will have an early start time of 5 p.m.\u00a0 We&#8217;ll see the New York Rangers hosting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/13\/braden-schneider-contract\/\" target=\"_self\">New York Rangers<\/a> in the second game at 8 p.m. ESPN, which is broadcasting all three games on Sept. 29, will wrap things up with the <span>Western Conference champion<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/01\/victor-olofsson-signs-with-vegas-golden-knights\/\" target=\"_self\"> Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> entertaining the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/09\/connor-bedard-out-4-months\/\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Blackhawks.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>On the same night, Sportsnet will have its own twin bill of action. The season-opener could see top overall pick Gavin McKenna and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/06\/toronto-maple-leafs-sale\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> host the archrival<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/02\/montreal-canadiens-ink-jakub-dobes-to-new-deal\/\" target=\"_self\"> Montreal Canadiens<\/a> at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29. The night cap will have new head coach Mike Babcock and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/04\/shakir-mukhamadullin-contract\/\" target=\"_self\">Edmonton Oilers<\/a> hosting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/12\/nhl-rumours-wright-vatrano\/\" target=\"_self\">Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, who have their own new bench boss in Manny<span> Malhotra at 10 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Turner will have its own double dip with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/03\/leo-carlsson-offer-sheet\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/11\/nhl-rumours-pens-robertson\/\" target=\"_self\">Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> on Sept. 30. These two clubs faced each other in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the Flyers won in six games. The finale will have the Los Angeles Kings heading to the Rockies to take on the Colorado Avalanche.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a list of the opening nights for each team in the league on the 2026-27 NHL schedule.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/07\/NHL-sked.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1664\" height=\"936\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-493751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/07\/NHL-sked.webp 1664w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/07\/NHL-sked-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1664px) 100vw, 1664px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Other Important Dates<\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/01\/mario-ferraro-contract-jets\/\" target=\"_self\">Winnipeg Jets<\/a> will host the Habs on <span>Oct. 25 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. Carolina and the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/06\/nhl-rumours-shane-wright\/\" target=\"_self\"> Seattle Kraken<\/a> will part of the first of two Global Series matchups with a pair of games at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki on Nov. 12 and 14. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/07\/claude-giroux-contract-ott\/\" target=\"_self\">Ottawa Senators<\/a> and the Blackhawks will then head to Germany on Dec. 18 and 20 at PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;ll be an intermountain matchup as the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/09\/barrett-hayton-offer-sheet-3\/\" target=\"_self\">Utah Mammoth<\/a> will host Colorado on New Year&#8217;s Eve <span>at the University of Utah&#8217;s Rice-Eccles Stadium. The last outdoor game of the season will be on Feb. 20 at AT&amp;T Stadium when the Golden Knights visit the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/03\/jamie-benn-contract-dallas\/\" target=\"_self\"> Dallas Stars.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>All-Star Weekend will return for the first time in years as the New York Islanders will host the extravaganza on Feb. 5-6 at <span>at UBS Arena. This year&#8217;s format will have an international flair with five teams of 11 players each from Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a &#8220;World&#8221; team comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four teams. These teams will be competing in a 3-on-3, round-robin exhibition tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBo0zG0pdK\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3326px; aspect-ratio: 3326\/2217;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><span>(Credit Image: \u00a9 Luis Santana\/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire)<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What It Means<\/h3>\n<p>We may be in the middle of the summer, but the release of the 2026-27 NHL schedule gives us thoughts of the fall. It&#8217;s odd having to see Carolina play so early in the day. However, it&#8217;s nice to see the Hurricanes continue to get the spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>It was a smart move by the NHL to go with an international format for the All-Star Weekend. The 4 Nations Face-off and the Winter Olympics have gotten the fans in the mood for international hockey. NHL officials are playing it smart with all of these international teams.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the 2026-27 NHL schedule will be released on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Main photo by: <span>Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026-27 NHL schedule is slowly being revealed. In a release from the league, key dates were announced for the beginning of the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season. This includes a tripleheader and banner raising for the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 29 as part of a tripleheader. Other parts of the 2026-27 NHL schedule release confirm [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":493752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4547,34,4548],"tags":[6664,1447,955,7085,6146],"class_list":["post-493750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hockey","category-news","category-nhl","tag-carolina-hurricanes-news","tag-nhl-global-series","tag-nhl-news","tag-nhl-schedule","tag-nhl-schedule-update"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":493754,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493750\/revisions\/493754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}