NHL schedule release: Analyzing the biggest games and dates of the 2026-27 season

The NHL has released its full 2026-27 season schedule, which will be the league's largest ever at 1,344 total games — 84 per team across all 32 clubs. The season is set to begin in late September, with a notable early highlight being a Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights on December 21. Teams marked the schedule release with creative announcements, including Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy narrating an audiobook and the Montreal Canadiens pranking players with the 1992-93 schedule.