NEW YORK — The National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that the 2026-27 regular season, expanded to 84 games with the addition of two more divisional games per team, will open on Tuesday, September 29 with a triple header on ESPN in the United States and a doubleheader on Sportsnet in Canada.
5:00 pm ET on ESPN Florida Panthers will meet the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. Before the game, Carolina will raise its second championship banner at the Lenovo Center.
7:00 pm ET on Sportsnet Montreal Canadiens visit Toronto Maple Leafs in the Original Six competition at Scotiabank Arena.
The action continues on ESPN at 8:00 pm ET when New York Rangers resist Boston Bruins in another Original Six match at TD Garden.
10:00 pm ET on Sportsnet Vancouver Canucks clash with opponents of the Pacific Division Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
Then on ESPN at 10:30 pm ET Chicago Blackhawks will visit Vegas Golden Knights in a Western Conference game at T-Mobile Arena.
TNT’s 2026-2027 season premieres next night, Wednesday, September 30, in a doubleheader featuring Pittsburgh Penguins V Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 pm ET and Los Angeles Kings visit Colorado Avalanche at 10:00 pm ET.
In addition, the League has announced each team’s first home games listed below.