NHL Season Expansion
NHL Adopts 84-Game Regular Season; Teams Release Four-Game Preseason Schedules for 2026-27
Key Points
Sharks' 2026 preseason features four games (two at home, two on the road) with the opener in Anaheim at 1 p.m. PT; the remaining three games are at 7 p.m. PT, and all four preseason games will be broadcast on the Sharks Audio Network via the SAP Center app and sjsharks.com/listen.
Avalanche’s preseason slate includes a Sept. 20 home opener at 5:00 p.m. MT against the Utah Mammoth, plus a Sept. 21 road trip to Winnipeg, a Sept. 25 home game vs Winnipeg, and a Sept. 26 matinee at Delta Center in Utah; all four games will have Altitude Sports Radio coverage with streaming options available on AltitudeSportsRadio.com/app.
Utah Mammoth’s four-game preseason features three road games and one home game, with the Delta Center hosting the final preseason game (the arena’s first event after renovations); they also play at Los Angeles on Sept. 22 and at Las Vegas on Sept. 24.
Flyers’ training camp begins Sept. 17, and their four-game preseason includes back-to-back road games against the Capitals and Bruins and two home games against the Bruins and Capitals, with dates: Sept. 21 (road vs Capitals), Sept. 22 (road vs Bruins), Sept. 24 (home vs Bruins), and Sept. 26 (home vs Capitals).
Bruins’ four-game preseason opens Sept. 20 at TD Garden versus the Capitals, followed by a Sept. 22 home game against the Flyers, and wraps with a road back-to-back on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 at Philadelphia and Washington.
The NHL is expanding to an 84-game regular season for 2026-27, the league's longest schedule since 1993-94, while cutting the preseason to just four games per team. The change, locked in by a 2025 collective bargaining agreement extension through 2030, is the biggest structural shift to the NHL calendar in over 30 years. NHL.com confirmed the leaguewide preseason schedules dropped on June 22, 2026, with the first games tipping off September 19.
The extra two regular-season games boost what the league calls Hockey Related Revenue, which drives the salary cap. The projected cap for 2026-27 sits at $104 million — up $8.5 million — while the minimum player salary rises to $850,000, according to Sports Business Journal.
Why the NHL Shrank the Preseason to Four Games
The NHL last ran 84 regular-season games during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, then settled at 82 games in 1995-96. With 32 teams now in the league, the new schedule lets every club play each of its seven divisional rivals exactly four times, for 28 divisional games. That clean math was a driving force behind the change, NHL.com reported.
Players pushed for fewer preseason games in return. NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh called the old six-to-eight game exhibition slate full of 'meaningless' injury risk, according to Front Office Sports. Under the new CBA, players with 100 or more NHL games can suit up in at most two preseason games, protecting veterans from extra wear. The total number of regular-season games leaguewide jumps from 1,312 to 1,344.
Avalanche, Mammoth, and a Renovated Delta Center Debut
The Colorado Avalanche open their four-game slate September 20 at Ball Arena — a 5:00 p.m. MT home game against the Utah Mammoth. They then travel to Winnipeg on September 21, host the Jets on September 25, and close with a September 26 matinee at Utah's Delta Center. NHL.com confirmed all four Avalanche games will air on Altitude Sports Radio with streaming on AltitudeSportsRadio.com.
The Utah Mammoth — formerly the Utah Hockey Club, rebranded in May 2026 — play three road games before coming home. Their September 26 Delta Center game will be the arena's first event after a $500 million renovation, NHL.com reported. Owner Ryan Smith's group is overseeing the rebuild, which is designed around NHL-specific sightlines. Fans in Salt Lake City snapped up tickets to that home opener within hours of the schedule release.
Flyers and Bruins Square Off in Back-to-Back Rivalries
Philadelphia's training camp opens September 17, giving the Flyers just four days before their preseason starts. Their schedule is built around two home-and-home series: road games at Washington on September 21 and at Boston on September 22, then home games against the Bruins on September 24 and the Capitals on September 26. Coach John Tortorella has hinted the condensed camp will focus on tactics from day one, according to Broad Street Hockey.
The Boston Bruins open September 20 at TD Garden against the Capitals, host Philadelphia on September 22, then close with back-to-back road games September 24 at Philadelphia and September 25 in Washington. The Bruins' four-game slate mirrors the leaguewide format confirmed by NHL.com.
Sharks and Golden Knights Tip Off Western Preseason Action
San Jose faces Anaheim and Vegas in its four-game slate — two home, two away. The opener is a 1:00 p.m. PT road game in Anaheim; the other three games start at 7:00 p.m. PT. All four will be broadcast on the Sharks Audio Network through the SAP Center app and sjsharks.com, NHL.com confirmed.
The Vegas Golden Knights open their preseason September 19 against the Los Angeles Kings at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, then visit San Jose on September 22, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Utah Mammoth also stop in Los Angeles on September 22 and Las Vegas on September 24 before heading home for the renovated Delta Center opener. The 84-game regular season is expected to begin around September 29, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
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