Most compelling games on 2026-27 NHL schedule

The NHL released its full schedule for the 2026-27 season on Thursday, with the action starting a little earlier than usual. 

The season starts Sept. 29, with each team playing 84 games this year as the league expands its schedule. 

Among the marquee matchups are plenty of playoff rematches, some dazzling outdoor games — Utah brings the Winter Classic to the mountains against Colorado on New Year’s Eve, while the Golden Knights and Stars get a Cowboys-sized spotlight in the Stadium Series — and plenty of must-watch player reunions. 

With all that in mind, here’s a look at some of the most anticipated matchups to come — starting with a pair of opening-night showdowns that really pack a punch.

Hurricanes raise the banner, then up the ante — Panthers @ Hurricanes, Sept. 29

After hoisting the Stanley Cup in June, the Hurricanes will open the 2026-27 season with one final celebration as they raise their banner to the rafters. And then the real fun begins as they officially launch their campaign to run it back. It’s fitting that it should begin with a game against the Panthers — few teams have been as sharp a thorn in Carolina’s side in recent years than Florida, after all. With Florida’s roster healthy again and now boasting a new starting goalie and a second Tkachuk, they’ll be eager to make a season-opening statement and measure themselves against the champs while the Hurricanes get their first glimpse of what it’ll take to get back to the top against a team that knows just how tall a task that is. 

McKenna gets first taste of old rivalry — Canadiens @ Maple Leafs, Sept. 29

Welcome to the NHL, Gavin McKenna. And while we’re at it, the NHL is wasting no time introducing its newest star to one of its oldest rivalries when Toronto hosts Montreal on opening night. The last time a No. 1 overall pick made his NHL debut in a Maple Leafs sweater, Auston Matthews wrote his name into the history books with a four-goal game against the Ottawa Senators. Just like 10 years ago, McKenna’s arrival also ushers in a new era for the team in blue and white. Expectations will be heaped high on the new guy — how’s that for an understatement? — and hopes will be, too, as the new-look Maple Leafs take the ice after a big summer of change. 

Top picks McKenna and Stenberg square off — Sharks @ Maple Leafs, Oct. 19

As the top two talents off the board at the 2026 draft, forwards McKenna and Ivar Stenberg will forever be linked. That their first NHL meeting takes place so early in their rookie campaigns should make for a natural launch point for comparing not just the two as individual playmakers, but two clubs looking to make their marks on the 2026-27 campaign with youth up front. 

Cue the boos: Brady goes back to Ottawa — Panthers @ Senators, Oct. 21 

A lot can change with one transaction, and there may be no better example of that than the league-altering trade between Florida and Ottawa that saw Senators captain Brady Tkachuk reunite with his big brother on the Panthers and deliver a massive blow to the Senators’ contender status in the process. That the deal was prompted by Tkachuk’s trade request out of Canada’s capital guarantees a not-so-warm welcome back to Ottawa. Bring on the drama. 

Bad blood between Ducks and Flyers hits the ice — Oct. 24

The Leo Carlsson offer-sheet saga sent shockwaves through the NHL and resulted in the Ducks making the young forward the game’s highest-paid player in terms of cap hit (and making things mighty complicated for future deals in the process). But when it comes to the front-office battles we’ve seen between the Ducks and Flyers in recent years, this wasn’t a one-off. The clubs have been involved in some of the more dramatic contract standoffs, resulting in a few high-profile trades (Cutter Gauthier to the Ducks after not signing in Philly; Trevor Zegras to the Flyers after Anaheim dragged its feet). All that drama will surely result in some heated battles on the ice, starting with their first meeting in late October. Should be fun. 

Ten months later, Hughes lands back in Vancouver — Wild @ Canucks, Oct. 25

Although the feelings aren’t as fresh as they are in Ottawa following the trade of Brady Tkachuk, it’ll still be interesting to see how Canucks fans feel about seeing former captain Quinn Hughes in Wild threads hitting the ice at Rogers Arena. Since being traded to Minnesota last December, Hughes has suited up against the Canucks once — he registered an assist in a win that resulted in the Wild officially clinching a playoff spot on April 2. This will be his first time back in Vancouver, however, and it’ll be intriguing to see what’s in store for his return.  

Cup Final rematch gets festive — Hurricanes @ Golden Knights, Dec. 21

The two sides of what was a wild Stanley Cup Final will meet for the first time in 2026-27 just before the NHL’s Christmas break. While no regular-season contest can come close to the intensity of a Cup Final meeting, it’ll be fun to see how the Cup champs and the star-studded runners-up match up a few months into the campaign after some interesting off-season adjustments on both sides. 

Bobrovsky visits Florida in rival colours — Maple Leafs @ Panthers, March 6

Those banners hanging in the rafters at Amerant Bank Arena? They simply aren’t there without Sergei Bobrovsky’s heroics en route to back-to-back championships. Expect the team and fans to welcome him back accordingly, giving the goalie his due despite the threads he’s wearing. That his potential return takes place so late in the season, and tees up three meetings between the clubs within a three-week span, really ups the intrigue — Bobrovsky practically made a career of foiling the Maple Leafs, and now might just have a chance to do the same against Florida down the stretch.  

Carlson gets hero’s welcome in Washington — Lightning @ Capitals, March 15

Before being dealt to Anaheim at the 2026 deadline, Carlson was one of the few remaining veterans still in Washington from its 2018 championship. After nearly two decades with the Capitals, it was jarring to see the defenceman sporting Ducks threads in the post-season. It’ll be equally weird seeing him in Washington donning the blue and white of the Tampa Bay Lightning (though, perhaps not quite as wild as seeing him in Carolina’s colours, had he signed with the Hurricanes after the Cup champs acquired his rights before July 1). Seeing how Alex Ovechkin embraces his old pal pre-game when Washington visits Tampa Bay Oct. 3 will be must-watch, too, but witnessing Washington’s warm welcome five months later should be pretty special. 

Ovechkin’s final game vs. Crosby? — Penguins @ Capitals, April 4

Alex Ovechkin silenced speculation about a summer retirement when he signed a one-year pact on July 2 to return to the Capitals. Now, chatter resumes about whether the 2026-27 campaign will be his last. His 22nd season will, of course, bring plenty of must-watch games — fanbases across the league will surely be circling the dates the Capitals come to town, anticipating one last look at the game’s greatest goal-scorer. And there’s no matchup more anticipated than what could be the last ever meeting between Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. That April matchup also marks Washington’s final home game of the regular season … and the final regular-season home game of Ovechkin’s career?