2026-27 NHL Preseason Schedule: Full 65-Game Slate & Dates

The full 2026-27 NHL preseason schedule is here. The league released the complete slate on August 13: 65 games across eight days, September 19 to 26, 2026, at 36 NHL and neutral-site arenas. It is the shortest preseason in years, trimmed to make room for the new 84-game regular season that drops the puck Tuesday, September 29. Here is every exhibition game, day by day, plus the marquee matchups worth watching.

2026-27 NHL Preseason: Quick Facts

Dates: Saturday, September 19 through Saturday, September 26, 2026
Games: 65 total across 8 days
Venues: 36 NHL and neutral-site arenas
Opening night: 7 games on September 19, headlined by Los Angeles vs. Vegas at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California
Busiest day: Saturday, September 26 with 14 games
Regular season opens: Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Times are listed in ET and are subject to change. Most preseason games air on team and regional streams rather than national TV; check your club’s listing for the broadcast.

2026-27 NHL Preseason Schedule (Day by Day)

Saturday, September 19 (7 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Dallas at St. Louis	7:00 PM
Montreal at Toronto	7:00 PM	Split squad
Toronto at Montreal	7:00 PM	Split squad
Winnipeg at Edmonton	8:00 PM
Chicago at Minnesota	8:00 PM
Los Angeles vs. Vegas	9:00 PM	Neutral site: Ontario, CA
Vancouver at Seattle	9:00 PM

Sunday, September 20 (7 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
NY Islanders at New Jersey	1:00 PM
San Jose at Anaheim	4:00 PM
Nashville at Tampa Bay	5:00 PM
Washington at Boston	5:00 PM
Carolina at Florida	7:00 PM
Utah at Colorado	7:00 PM
Seattle at Calgary	8:00 PM

Monday, September 21 (8 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Buffalo at Pittsburgh	7:00 PM
Detroit at Columbus	7:00 PM
NY Rangers at New Jersey	7:00 PM
Philadelphia vs. Washington	7:00 PM	Neutral site: Hershey, PA
Montreal vs. Ottawa	7:00 PM	Kraft Hockeyville, Trois-Rivieres, QC
Colorado at Winnipeg	8:00 PM
Minnesota at Chicago	8:00 PM
St. Louis at Dallas	8:00 PM

Tuesday, September 22 (10 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Columbus at Buffalo	7:00 PM
Detroit at Pittsburgh	7:00 PM
Florida at Carolina	7:00 PM
NY Islanders at NY Rangers	7:00 PM
Philadelphia at Boston	7:00 PM
Edmonton at Winnipeg	8:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Nashville	8:00 PM
Vancouver at Calgary	9:00 PM
Utah at Los Angeles	10:00 PM
Vegas at San Jose	10:00 PM

Wednesday, September 23 (4 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Ottawa at Toronto	7:00 PM	Split squad
Toronto at Ottawa	7:00 PM	Split squad
Minnesota at Dallas	8:00 PM
Los Angeles at Anaheim	10:00 PM

Thursday, September 24 (11 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Boston at Philadelphia	7:00 PM
Buffalo at Detroit	7:00 PM
Florida at Tampa Bay	7:00 PM
Carolina vs. Nashville	7:00 PM	Neutral site: Greensboro, NC
New Jersey at NY Rangers	7:00 PM
Pittsburgh at Columbus	7:00 PM
Chicago at St. Louis	8:00 PM
Edmonton at Vancouver	9:00 PM
Calgary at Seattle	9:40 PM
Anaheim at San Jose	10:00 PM
Utah at Vegas	10:00 PM

Friday, September 25 (4 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Boston at Washington	7:00 PM
NY Rangers at NY Islanders	7:30 PM
Dallas at Minnesota	8:00 PM
Winnipeg at Colorado	8:30 PM

Saturday, September 26 (14 games)

Matchup	Time (ET)	Notes
Carolina at Nashville	3:00 PM
Pittsburgh at Buffalo	3:00 PM
Anaheim at Los Angeles	4:00 PM
Colorado at Utah	5:00 PM
Washington at Philadelphia	5:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Florida	6:00 PM
Seattle at Vancouver	7:00 PM
St. Louis at Chicago	7:00 PM
Columbus at Detroit	7:00 PM
Montreal at Ottawa	7:00 PM	Split squad
Ottawa at Montreal	7:00 PM	Split squad
New Jersey at NY Islanders	7:30 PM
Calgary at Edmonton	9:00 PM
San Jose at Vegas	10:00 PM

Marquee Preseason Games to Watch

Kraft Hockeyville (Sep 21): Montreal vs. Ottawa at Colisee Videotron in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, celebrating the community’s Hockeyville win with arena upgrades and equipment.
Opening-night neutral site (Sep 19): Los Angeles vs. Vegas at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California opens the preseason.
Hershey (Sep 21): Philadelphia vs. Washington at Giant Center, home of the Capitals’ AHL affiliate.
Greensboro (Sep 24): Carolina vs. Nashville at First Horizon Coliseum.

Why the 2026-27 Preseason Is Shorter

The regular season expands to 84 games in 2026-27, the first change to its length since the mid-1990s. To fit the extra games in without running deeper into the summer, the league trimmed the exhibition slate. The result is a tight, eight-day preseason from September 19 to 26, with camps opening later and fewer tune-up games than usual before the regular season starts September 29.

More 2026-27 NHL Schedules

Once the preseason wraps, keep going with our full 2026-27 coverage: the free printable full-season schedule, the national TV schedule (172 games on ESPN and TNT), and opening night on September 29. You can also grab your team’s full calendar and add it to Google or Apple Calendar.

2026-27 NHL Preseason FAQ

When does the 2026-27 NHL preseason start?

The preseason opens Saturday, September 19, 2026 with seven games and runs through Saturday, September 26. The regular season begins Tuesday, September 29.

How many NHL preseason games are there in 2026-27?

65 preseason games across eight days at 36 NHL and neutral-site venues, a compressed slate shortened to make room for the new 84-game regular season.

Are NHL preseason games on TV?

Most preseason games stream on team and regional outlets rather than national networks. Check your club’s official listing for each game’s broadcast or stream.