NHL releases opening night schedule for all 32 teams

With the sweltering heat, it’s crazy to think that hockey is just over two months away.

On Wednesday, the National Hockey League released the opening-night schedule for all 32 teams, as they are set to kick off the 2026-27 season.

For just the second time in league history, the regular season will begin in September. It comes as part of the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, with the preseason being limited to just four games, and the regular season expanding to 84 games. It will mark the longest regular season since the 1993-94 campaign, when the league was trying to accommodate expansion in the first few years of the decade.

The 2026-27 campaign kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with five games, starting off with the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes taking on the Florida Panthers, the winner of Lord Stanley in the two previous years. Puck drop for that matchup is set for 5 p.m. ET.

The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. ET, with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers facing off at 8 p.m ET. The final two games will come out west, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET), and the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the defending Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights (10:30 p.m. ET).

Two more games will take place on Sept. 30, before the remaining teams will hold their home openers in October.

The first time the NHL kicked off its season before October was at the beginning of the 2007-08 season, when the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings played in London, England.

Here is the full list of home openers for each team:

The full 2026-27 schedule is set to be released on Thursday.