Үндэсний хоккейн лигийн 32 баг нийт 1344 тоглолт бүхий шинэ улирлын хуваариа албан ёсоор зарлалаа.
Есдүгээр сарын 29-нд эхлэх улирлын нээлтийн тоглолтод Торонто Мэйпл Лифс болон Монреаль Канадиенс учраа таарах бөгөөд энэ үеэр Торонтогийн драфтын нэгдүгээр сонголт Гэвин Маккенна лигийн анхны тоглолтоо хийх төлөвтэй байна. Мөн тус өдөр Каролина Харрикейнс өөрийн талбайдаа Флорида Пантерсийг хүлээн авч, Стэнлийн цомын аварга болсноо албан ёсоор тэмдэглэх юм. Улирлын туршид бүх 32 баг нэг өдөр тоглох хоёр тохиолдол гарах бөгөөд энэ нь аравдугаар сарын 13 болон дөрөвдүгээр сарын 10-нд тохионо.
Энэ улиралд хэд хэдэн онцлох эргэн ирэлт болон түүхэн үйл явдлууд хүлээгдэж байна. Тухайлбал, аравдугаар сарын 21-нд Брэди Ткачук Флорида Пантерсийн бүрэлдэхүүнд хуучин баг Оттава Сенаторс руугаа зочлох бол аравдугаар сарын 25-нд Квин Хьюз Ванкувер Канакс багийн талбайд эргэн ирж тоглоно. Мөн арванхоёрдугаар сарын 27-нд дасгалжуулагч Майк Бэбкок Эдмонтон Ойлерсийн дасгалжуулагчийн хувиар шинэ сорилттой нүүр тулах юм.
Европын үзэгчдэд зориулсан тоглолтууд ч хуваарьт багтсан бөгөөд арваннэгдүгээр сард Каролина Харрикейнс болон Сиэтл Кракен Финланд улсад, харин арванхоёрдугаар сард Чикаго Блэкхокс болон Оттава Сенаторс Герман улсад тус тус тоглоно. Улирлын төгсгөлд буюу дөрөвдүгээр сарын 4-нд Сидни Кросби болон Александр Овечкин нарын алдарт өрсөлдөөн дахин өрнөх бол дөрөвдүгээр сарын 10-нд Калгари Флэймс баг хуучин ордондоо сүүлийн тоглолтоо хийж, домогт тоглогчид болох Овечкин болон Евгений Малкин нарын карьерын чухал үе шатууд өндөрлөх боломжтой байна.
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The NHL is more than two months away from the late-September start of its 2026-27 season, billed as the league’s largest schedule at 1,344 total games — or 84 per team. And now, as of Thursday afternoon, all 32 clubs have unveiled their schedules.
Some took the opportunity to be creative. Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy narrated an audiobook as part of the Lightning’s release. The Columbus Blue Jackets paid homage to “Toy Story,” and the Anaheim Ducks featured their opponents as cards from an opening pack. The Montreal Canadiens pranked teammates by showing them the 1992-93 schedule. And the Ottawa Senators let media members air their grievances.
Now that every matchup has been announced, it’s time to spot which dates could carry more meaning than what meets the eye: the revenge matchups, the potential milestones, the long-awaited debuts and so much more.
Sept. 29: Opening-night fireworks
As outlined Wednesday, the first day of the NHL’s regular season will feature five matchups. That includes the presumptive NHL debut of Gavin McKenna, the recent No. 1 selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in last month’s NHL Draft. There will be no easing in for McKenna, because the Leafs will meet the rival Canadiens.
Elsewhere, the Carolina Hurricanes will unfurl their Stanley Cup championship banner in their home-opening game against the Florida Panthers. The Canes hope to emulate the Panthers as repeat Stanley Cup champions, something Florida accomplished in 2025.
Sept. 30: McKenna vs. Schaefer
The two most recent No. 1 overall picks will meet each other in Toronto on Day 2 of the NHL season, and in the New York Islanders’ season-opening game. Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer interviewed McKenna shortly after he was drafted last month on the floor in Buffalo. But we expect no pleasantries between both men when they cross paths on the ice.
Oct. 13: All 32 teams in action
There will be only two occasions when all 32 NHL teams play games on a single day. The first will be Tuesday, Oct. 13, and the second on Saturday, April 10, the final day of the regular season. Thinking of The Athletic colleague Shayna Goldman, who will want as many of these games staggered as possible, just like many of us.
Oct. 21: Brady returns to Ottawa
The NHL wasted no time featuring this matchup. Former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will skate in Canada’s capital for the first time since he forced a trade in late June to join his brother, Matthew, with the Panthers. Tkachuk spent the first 572 regular-season games of his NHL career in red and black. But some Sens fans have already moved on from the star winger.
Oct. 25: Hockey heads outdoors, Hughes’ return
The NHL was rocked last season by a mega trade involving superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes, sending the then-Vancouver Canucks captain to the Minnesota Wild. Here Hughes will make his return to the city where he spent the majority of his career within the first month of the season. Time will tell how Canucks fans, in the midst of a rebuild, will receive him.
On the same day, the first of three NHL outdoor games this season will take place in Winnipeg at Princess Auto Stadium, home of the CFL’s Blue Bombers. There the Winnipeg Jets will host the Montreal Canadiens.
Oct. 28: Battle of Alberta begins
There will be four instances of the Battle of Alberta this season, pitting Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers against the Calgary Flames. Fans will get to experience the first battle in the opening month of the year. But after that, the final three matchups will be in March and April. Also, in a surprise twist, none of those games will be on a Saturday night. Even if the Flames aren’t as talented as in years past, the rivalry still stands among the league’s most fiery.
Nov. 12 & 14: Champs go abroad
The Hurricanes will play a pair of their regular-season games in Helsinki this season. Both will be against the Seattle Kraken at Veikkaus Arena, where Jokerit plays as part of Finland’s top league.
Dec. 18 & 20: Bedard, Senators meet in Germany
The NHL is making a concerted effort to cater to fans in Europe, which explains why certain Monday games have been scheduled in the afternoon in Eastern time. That effort extends to a pair of games in Dusseldorf, Germany, between the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa just before Christmas. Chicago star Connor Bedard should hopefully be recovered from shoulder surgery by then, meaning he will go up against German native Tim Stützle and the Tkachuk-less Senators.
Dec. 21: Cup Final rematch
Days before the new year, we finally get a championship rematch. It will take place in Las Vegas, with the Golden Knights hosting the Hurricanes in their first encounter since the Canes’ six-game triumph in June.
Dec. 27: Babcock returns
Mike Babcock resigned as head coach of the Blue Jackets before ever coaching a game in 2023, the result of a controversy over him asking players to share photos from their personal devices. Over three years later, Babcock is returning to the NHL behind the Oilers’ bench. While Babcock never coached in Columbus, many will probably have this date circled. The Oilers will then host the Blue Jackets on Jan. 15 at Rogers Arena in the return game.
As for when Babcock will face off against the last team he coached for, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Oilers will play them twice this season: in Edmonton on Oct. 24 and in Toronto on Nov. 14.
Dec. 31: Winter Classic
The second of three outdoor games will be on New Year’s Eve at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utah Mammoth, in just their third year of existence, will host a fellow Central Division power, the Colorado Avalanche.
Jan. 20: Alfredsson takes on Ottawa
Tkachuk wasn’t the only Sens captain whom the Senators lost this offseason. Longtime captain-turned-assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson left for Toronto to take over as associate coach behind Jim Hiller’s bench. Alfredsson will return to Ottawa twice next season, on Jan. 20 and Feb. 13, two of four matchups between the provincial rivals.
Jan. 30: Bedard vs. Celebrini
San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini will meet his friend and fellow superstar Bedard and the Blackhawks for the first time on Jan. 30. Seeing them both compete against each other in games last season, while both competed for spots on the Canadian Olympic team, was electric. So it’s a little disappointing to see that they’ll only face off against each other in 2027 and not sooner.
Feb. 15: A new all-time iron man?
Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns is 58 games away from breaking the record for consecutive games played, currently held by former winger Phil Kessel. If Burns remains healthy to begin the season and beyond, he’d break the record on Feb. 15 against the Blue Jackets. Burns will play two of his former teams within those first 58 games, with matchups against San Jose (Nov. 28) and Carolina (Dec. 18 and Feb. 9).
Feb. 20: Dallas and Vegas go outside
The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights have battled in the playoffs before. And now they will take it outside for the NHL’s Stadium Series. It’ll be the Stars’ second outdoor game after previously meeting the Nashville Predators in a 4-2 victory at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 1, 2020. This time around, they will host the Golden Knights in Jerry World, better known as AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Vegas is searching for the franchise’s first win in an outdoor game, having lost its first two encounters against Colorado (in February 2021) and Seattle (in January 2024).
April 4: Sid vs. Ovi, one last time?
It’s still up to Alex Ovechkin to decide when he’ll retire from the NHL after signing a one-year contract to return to the Washington Capitals. But if this is the Russian’s final season, his final regular-season battle against old foe Sidney Crosby will take place here, less than a week from the end of the regular season. That game also happens to be the last home regular-season game for Washington. So, if this is the end for Ovechkin, that could prove to be an emotional night for many in the United States’ capital.
April 10: Hanging up the Saddledome
Should the Flames miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, which appears likely for a rebuilding franchise, then April 10 will be curtains for their longtime home, the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary will host the rival Vancouver Canucks on the final day of the NHL’s regular season. Afterward, the 43-year-old building will make way for Scotia Place, which will serve as the Flames’ new home next season. We, for one, will miss the Saddledome’s harrowing catwalk.
April 10: Two legends say goodbye?
Ovechkin and the Capitals will end their regular season against the Philadelphia Flyers on this day, the second of two all-32 days for NHL teams. And Ovechkin won’t be the only soon-to-be Hall of Fame player from Russia on hockey fans’ minds this day.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin could be capping off his 21st, and potentially final, NHL season on the road against the New Jersey Devils. The 39-year-old re-signed on a one-year contract extension with the Penguins in May, and his future will be up in the air just like with Ovechkin.
