NHL Opening Week: Our Picks for the First Games of 2026-27
Hockey is back — and the 2026-27 season opens bigger than ever, the first 84-game campaign since 1993-94, kicking off with an exclusive ESPN tripleheader on Tuesday, September 29. Opening night alone gives us a Stanley Cup banner-raising, two Original Six openers, and a first look at a new-look contender or two. Here's what we'd clear the schedule for in the first week, and exactly where to watch every minute of it.
Editor's Picks
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes
There's no better way to open a season than a banner night. The Carolina Hurricanes raise their 2026 Stanley Cup banner — the franchise's first title since 2006 — before facing the Florida Panthers, the two-time champions who then stunningly missed the playoffs entirely last season. It's the reigning king hosting the fallen dynasty, live on ESPN as the opener of the whole season.
Why watch: a Cup banner-raising is one of hockey's great spectacles, and the subplot is irresistible — Carolina proving it belongs at the top, Florida (with the Tkachuk brothers now reunited) out to show last year was a fluke.
Montréal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs
Original Six, opening night. The Montreal Canadiens — a genuine surprise run to the Eastern Conference Final last spring — visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who missed the playoffs and enter under a new coach in Jim Hiller. There is no bigger rivalry in the sport, and both teams have something to prove from opposite ends of last season.
Why it's great TV: Habs-Leafs never needs a reason, but a rising Montreal against a retooling Toronto on night one is as good a version as you'll get. It's on Sportsnet in Canada.
New York Rangers at Boston Bruins
The night's second Original Six opener rounds out ESPN's tripleheader: the New York Rangers at the Boston Bruins. Both are coming off disappointing seasons — the Rangers missed the playoffs, the Bruins snuck in as a wild card and lost in the first round — so this is two proud franchises trying to reset, with fresh faces on both rosters.
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers
The most fascinating storyline of opening night lives in Edmonton. After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, the Oilers were stunned in the first round last spring — and responded by hiring the controversial Mike Babcock, back behind an NHL bench for the first time in years. His debut, against the rival Vancouver Canucks on Sportsnet, is appointment viewing for reasons that go well beyond the standings.
Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche
TNT's Wednesday opener (Sept. 30) is a showcase: the Colorado Avalanche, who set a franchise record with the Presidents' Trophy for the league's best regular-season record last year, host the Los Angeles Kings. The Avs' regular-season dominance ended in a shocking Western Final sweep, so year one of the redemption tour starts here — and it's a great early look at one of the sport's most talented rosters.
Everything else on this week
That's our shortlist, but opening week is stacked well beyond it — the defending-champion Hurricanes, the Presidents' Trophy Avalanche and the runner-up Golden Knights all get their banners and openers, and by the weekend every team is in action. See the complete week — with every start time converted to your local zone — on our full schedule.
New to a team's TV setup this season? A lot changed: our How to Watch the NHL in 2026-27 guide breaks down every national window, regional network and streaming option.
Start times shown in US Eastern; on the live schedule they convert to your local zone automatically. Listings verified as of publication — see how we check our listings.