TotalSportek NHL Schedule & UK Viewing Guide
The NHL schedule for 2026/27 starts on Tuesday 29 September 2026 and finishes on Saturday 10 April 2027. This season brings an important change: every team will play 84 regular-season games instead of 82, creating a league-wide schedule of 1,344 games.
For UK fans, the hardest part is usually the start time. An evening game in Toronto can begin after midnight here, while a late game in Vancouver or Vegas may not start until 3am. The good news is that the NHL has also added more weekday games designed for European prime-time viewing.
Quick Answer
The 2026/27 NHL regular season runs from 29 September 2026 to 10 April 2027. All 32 teams play 84 games, split into 42 home and 42 away. Premier Sports carries around 500 NHL games per season in the UK, while NHL.TV is also available through DAZN. The Stanley Cup Playoffs follow the regular season, with 16 teams qualifying for four best-of-seven rounds. Exact 2027 playoff dates have not yet been confirmed.
NHL Schedule 2026/27: Key Dates
The season begins earlier than many recent NHL campaigns because two extra regular-season games have been added for every club.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Regular season starts | Tuesday 29 September 2026 |
| All 32 teams play | Tuesday 13 October |
| Heritage Classic | Sunday 25 October |
| Global Series Finland | 12 and 14 November |
| Global Series Germany | 18 and 20 December |
| Winter Classic | Thursday 31 December |
| NHL All-Star Skills | Friday 5 February 2027 |
| NHL All-Star Game | Saturday 6 February |
| Stadium Series | Saturday 20 February |
| Regular season ends | Saturday 10 April |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | Exact dates TBC |
The regular season covers 194 days, with 1,344 fixtures in total. There are also two dates when all 32 clubs are scheduled to play: 13 October and the final day on 10 April.
That busy final day could matter for division positions, Wild Card places and home-ice advantage.
NHL Opening Night in UK Time
Five games open the season on Tuesday 29 September in North America. Four of them continue into Wednesday morning for British viewers.
| Fixture | North American start | UK start |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | 5pm ET | 10pm BST, Tue 29 Sep |
| Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs | 7pm ET | 12am BST, Wed 30 Sep |
| New York Rangers at Boston Bruins | 8pm ET | 1am BST, Wed 30 Sep |
| Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers | 10pm ET | 3am BST, Wed 30 Sep |
| Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights | 10:30pm ET | 3:30am BST, Wed 30 Sep |
Carolina Hurricanes open the season at home as the defending Stanley Cup champions, facing Florida Panthers before raising their championship banner. Montreal v Toronto and Rangers v Bruins provide two Original Six match-ups on the same night.
Why the Date Changes for UK Fans
North American fixture lists normally use the local date.
That means Montreal at Toronto is officially a Tuesday 29 September game, even though it begins at midnight on Wednesday 30 September in the UK.
This matters throughout the season. A fan searching for an NHL game “tonight” needs to check both the North American fixture date and the actual British start time.
The Second Night of the Season
Pittsburgh Penguins visit Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday 30 September at 7:30pm ET, followed by Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche at 10pm ET.
Those convert to 12:30am BST and 3am BST respectively on Thursday 1 October for UK viewers.
The pattern is typical: East Coast games often cross midnight, while games further west can run deep into the British night.
Why Does Each NHL Team Play 84 Games?
The NHL has expanded its regular-season schedule from 82 to 84 games per team for 2026/27.
It is the first 84-game season since 1993/94. Each team's two extra games are against divisional opponents, giving every club more matches against its closest regular-season rivals.
Each team now plays:
| Opponent group | Games |
|---|---|
| Own division | 28 |
| Other division in same conference | 24 |
| Opposite conference | 32 |
| Total | 84 |
Every club has 42 home games and 42 away games.
Divisional Games
There are eight teams in each NHL division.
A club plays each of its seven divisional opponents four times: twice at home and twice away.
That creates 28 divisional games.
For example, an Atlantic Division club such as Toronto Maple Leafs will play fellow Atlantic teams four times each.
Same-Conference Games
The other division in the same conference provides 24 more fixtures.
The home-and-away split varies across those opponents to make the full 84-game schedule work.
Inter-Conference Games
Every team plays all 16 clubs from the opposite conference twice.
One game is at home and one away, giving fans the chance to see every NHL club visit their team's arena during the regular-season cycle.
What Time Do NHL Games Start in the UK?
There is no single NHL start time for British viewers.
The league stretches across several North American time zones, so a perfectly normal 7pm local face-off can mean anything from midnight to the early hours in Britain.
Eastern Time Games
Many Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals home games use Eastern Time.
During British Summer Time, common conversions are:
| Eastern Time | UK time |
|---|---|
| 5pm ET | 10pm BST |
| 6pm ET | 11pm BST |
| 7pm ET | 12am BST |
| 7:30pm ET | 12:30am BST |
| 8pm ET | 1am BST |
Once Britain returns to GMT, the conversion can change depending on whether North America has also changed its clocks.
West Coast Games
Western games are normally harder for UK viewers.
A 7pm Pacific Time start can fall around 2am or 3am in Britain depending on the time of year.
That affects clubs such as Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.
If you follow one of those teams, weekend afternoon games and the NHL's new Europe-friendly fixtures are often the best live viewing opportunities.
More NHL Games Are Being Timed for Europe
One of the best changes for UK fans in 2026/27 is the addition of regular Monday matinee games in North America.
The NHL has specifically described these as weekday matinee and European prime-time fixtures, designed to let fans overseas watch major teams at a normal evening hour.
The first example comes on Monday 12 October, when Florida Panthers visit Buffalo Sabres at 1pm ET.
That becomes 6pm BST in the UK.
Instead of staying awake until midnight or later, British fans can watch during a normal Monday evening.
More of these slots appear across the season.
NHL Global Series 2026
European-based games are even easier for UK fans.
The NHL will stage four regular-season fixtures in Europe during 2026.
Carolina Hurricanes v Seattle Kraken in Finland
Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken meet twice at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki.
The games take place on:
- Thursday 12 November
- Saturday 14 November
These are regular-season games, not exhibitions.
UK viewers should get far more convenient start times than they would from a normal evening game in Seattle.
Chicago Blackhawks v Ottawa Senators in Germany
Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators travel to Düsseldorf for two games at PSD Bank Dome.
They are scheduled for:
- Friday 18 December
- Sunday 20 December
The Germany series is another chance for European supporters to follow NHL hockey without an overnight start.
Exact UK face-off times should still be checked once the final broadcast schedule is published.
Outdoor NHL Games in 2026/27
Three major outdoor events are built into the season.
Heritage Classic — 25 October
Winnipeg Jets host Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The Heritage Classic is the NHL's Canadian outdoor-game series.
Winter Classic — 31 December
Utah Mammoth host Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium on New Year's Eve.
The Winter Classic is one of the NHL's biggest annual regular-season events.
Stadium Series — 20 February
Dallas Stars host Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
AT&T Stadium is better known as the home of the Dallas Cowboys, giving the game a much larger setting than a standard NHL arena.
NHL All-Star Weekend 2027
The NHL All-Star Game returns in February 2027 after not being staged during the previous two seasons.
UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders, hosts the weekend.
The NHL All-Star Skills event takes place on Friday 5 February, followed by the All-Star Game on Saturday 6 February.
The regular season pauses from 4–7 February around the event.
How to Watch NHL in the UK
Premier Sports is one of the main legal NHL broadcasters for British viewers.
Premier Sports says its package includes around 500 NHL games per season, or about 15 games per week. That is substantial coverage, but it is not every match in the 1,344-game schedule.
For individual television selections, check the broadcaster's schedule before the game rather than assuming every fixture will appear on Premier Sports 1 or Premier Sports 2.
TotalSportek's NHL coverage can also be used for hockey fixture information, while the site's wider sports coverage covers other competitions.
NHL.TV on DAZN
NHL.TV is also available through DAZN in the United Kingdom for the 2026/27 season.
The NHL moved NHL.TV to DAZN under a multi-year international streaming agreement, with the UK included among the supported territories.
That gives UK fans another official route for following the league.
Always check the current event listing and territory rules before subscribing because availability can differ between services and packages.
Is NHL Free-to-Air in the UK?
NHL hockey is not generally a free-to-air product in Britain.
Regular live coverage sits mainly with subscription services such as Premier Sports and NHL.TV on DAZN.
That makes the NHL different from competitions such as the Six Nations, where every fixture is available through BBC or ITV.
When Does the Stanley Cup Playoffs Start?
The NHL regular season ends on Saturday 10 April 2027.
The exact game-by-game dates for the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs had not been published as of 21 August 2026.
Rather than guessing a first-round date, the safe position is to wait for the NHL's official postseason schedule.
The playoff format itself is already established.
How Do the Stanley Cup Playoffs Work?
Sixteen teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Eight come from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference.
Twelve places go to the top three clubs in each of the league's four divisions. The remaining four places are Wild Cards: two from each conference.
How Wild Card Qualification Works
After the top three clubs in each division qualify, the two best remaining teams in each conference take the Wild Card places.
Those teams can come from either division.
The conference's stronger division winner faces the lower Wild Card team in the First Round. The other division winner faces the higher Wild Card.
The clubs finishing second and third within each division play each other.
Every Round Is Best of Seven
Every Stanley Cup Playoff series is played over a best-of-seven format.
The first team to win four games advances.
There are four rounds:
- First Round
- Second Round
- Conference Finals
- Stanley Cup Final
A team must therefore collect 16 postseason wins to lift the Stanley Cup.
Home-Ice Advantage
Higher regular-season positioning matters because it can decide home-ice advantage.
For the Stanley Cup Final, the team with the better regular-season points total receives home ice.
That is one reason teams still have something to play for even after qualification is secure.
Why the Final NHL Weekend Matters
The final day of the 2026/27 regular season could be especially busy.
All 32 clubs play on Saturday 10 April, and 12 of the 16 games are divisional match-ups.
Those games can decide:
- Division titles
- Top-three qualification
- Wild Card places
- First-round opponents
- Home-ice advantage
One result can move a team from a comfortable divisional seed into a Wild Card position, while another club can miss the postseason completely.
That makes the closing week much more important than simply finishing the 84-game schedule.
FAQ
When does the 2026/27 NHL season start?
The NHL regular season begins on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Five games are scheduled for opening night, starting with Florida Panthers at defending Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes. The season runs through Saturday 10 April 2027.
How many games does each NHL team play?
Every NHL team plays 84 regular-season games in 2026/27. Each club has 42 home games and 42 away games. The move from 82 to 84 adds two more fixtures against divisional opponents.
What time do NHL games start in the UK?
Many East Coast evening games start around midnight or 12:30am in Britain. Later North American games can begin around 2am or 3am. The exact conversion depends on the host city and daylight-saving dates.
Is NHL on Premier Sports in the UK?
Yes. Premier Sports lists around 500 NHL games per season in its UK sports package, averaging roughly 15 games per week. It does not carry all 1,344 regular-season fixtures, so check the current Premier Sports schedule for the match you want.
Can I watch NHL.TV in the UK?
Yes. NHL.TV is available through DAZN in the United Kingdom for the 2026/27 season. It moved to DAZN under the NHL's international streaming agreement. Current package and game availability should be checked before subscribing.
When do the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs start?
The regular season ends on 10 April 2027, but the NHL had not yet published the exact 2027 First Round dates as of 21 August 2026. Those dates should be added once the league confirms its official playoff schedule.
How many teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Sixteen clubs qualify. The top three teams from each of the four divisions take 12 places, while two Wild Card teams from each conference fill the remaining four. Every playoff round uses a best-of-seven series.
NHL Schedule: What UK Fans Need to Know
The 2026/27 NHL schedule is different from recent seasons. Every club now plays 84 games, the campaign starts on 29 September, and more weekday matinees have been added to give European fans better live viewing times.
For UK viewers, the biggest practical rule is to check the British date as well as the North American one. A Tuesday evening fixture in Canada can be a Wednesday morning game here.
Use Premier Sports or NHL.TV on DAZN for legal viewing, and check the individual listing before face-off. Once the regular season finishes on 10 April, the focus shifts to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and four best-of-seven rounds to decide the champion.
