The 2026-27 NHL season drops the puck on Tuesday, September 29 with an exclusive ESPN opening-night tripleheader, and national windows run all week on ESPN (Tuesday and Thursday) and TNT (Wednesday and Friday). Here is the opening-week national TV schedule at a glance, plus a free one-page printable to stick on the fridge. All times are Eastern.
2026-27 NHL Opening Week: National TV Schedule
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | National TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 29 | Florida at Carolina (banner night) | 5:00 PM | ESPN |
| Tue, Sep 29 | N.Y. Rangers at Boston | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Tue, Sep 29 | Chicago at Vegas | 10:30 PM | ESPN |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Pittsburgh at Philadelphia | 7:30 PM | TNT / truTV / Max |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Los Angeles at Colorado | 10:00 PM | TNT / truTV / Max |
| Thu, Oct 1 | National doubleheader | see listings | ESPN / ESPN+ / Hulu |
| Fri, Oct 2 | National doubleheader | see listings | TNT / truTV / Max |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Full slate | see listings | Regional + ESPN+ |
| Sun, Oct 4 | Full slate | see listings | Regional + ESPN+ |
Opening Night Tripleheader (ESPN)
ESPN opens the season with three games on September 29. It starts at 5:00 PM ET as the Florida Panthers visit the Carolina Hurricanes for a banner-raising night, followed by the New York Rangers at the Boston Bruins (8:00 PM ET) and the Chicago Blackhawks at the Vegas Golden Knights (10:30 PM ET). Wednesday brings a TNT doubleheader, and national coverage continues on ESPN and TNT through the week while most other games air on regional and team outlets and ESPN+.
More NHL Schedules
When does the 2026-27 NHL season start?
Tuesday, September 29, 2026, with an ESPN opening-night tripleheader. The regular season is 84 games this year.
Where can I watch NHL opening week?
Opening night is exclusive to ESPN. TNT (with truTV and Max) carries national games Wednesday and Friday, ESPN and ESPN+ carry Thursday, and most other opening-week games are on regional and team outlets. Thursday and Friday national matchups are confirmed by the NHL closer to game day.
