The 2026-27 NHL preseason is an eight day, 65 game schedule that started Saturday, September 19 and ends Saturday, September 26 with 14 games. It is the first preseason under the new collective bargaining agreement, which cut every team to a maximum of four exhibition games to make room for an 84 game regular season. The regular season opens Tuesday, September 29 with five games. All times below are Eastern.
Tuesday, September 22
| Columbus at Buffalo | 7 p.m. |
| Detroit at Pittsburgh | 7 p.m. |
| Florida at Carolina | 7 p.m. |
| NY Islanders at NY Rangers | 7 p.m. |
| Philadelphia at Boston | 7 p.m. |
| Edmonton at Winnipeg | 8 p.m. |
| Tampa Bay at Nashville | 8 p.m. |
| Vancouver at Calgary | 9 p.m. |
| Utah at Los Angeles | 10 p.m. |
| Vegas at San Jose | 10 p.m. |
Wednesday, September 23
| Ottawa (split squad) at Toronto (split squad) | 7 p.m. |
| Toronto (split squad) at Ottawa (split squad) | 7 p.m. |
| Minnesota at Dallas | 8 p.m. |
| Los Angeles at Anaheim | 10 p.m. |
Thursday, September 24
| Boston at Philadelphia | 7 p.m. |
| Buffalo at Detroit | 7 p.m. |
| Florida at Tampa Bay | 7 p.m. |
| Carolina vs. Nashville at Greensboro, N.C. (First Horizon Coliseum) | 7 p.m. |
| New Jersey at NY Rangers | 7 p.m. |
| Pittsburgh at Columbus | 7 p.m. |
| Chicago at St. Louis | 8 p.m. |
| Edmonton at Vancouver | 9 p.m. |
| Calgary at Seattle | 9:40 p.m. |
| Anaheim at San Jose | 10 p.m. |
| Utah at Vegas | 10 p.m. |
Friday, September 25
| Boston at Washington | 7 p.m. |
| NY Rangers at NY Islanders | 7:30 p.m. |
| Dallas at Minnesota | 8 p.m. |
| Winnipeg at Colorado | 8:30 p.m. |
Saturday, September 26
| Carolina at Nashville | 3 p.m. |
| Pittsburgh at Buffalo | 3 p.m. |
| Anaheim at Los Angeles | 4 p.m. |
| Colorado at Utah | 5 p.m. |
| Washington at Philadelphia | 5 p.m. |
| Tampa Bay at Florida | 6 p.m. |
| Seattle at Vancouver | 7 p.m. |
| St. Louis at Chicago | 7 p.m. |
| Columbus at Detroit | 7 p.m. |
| Montreal (split squad) at Ottawa (split squad) | 7 p.m. |
| Ottawa (split squad) at Montreal (split squad) | 7 p.m. |
| New Jersey at NY Islanders | 7:30 p.m. |
| Calgary at Edmonton | 9 p.m. |
| San Jose at Vegas | 10 p.m. |
Games Already Played
Saturday, September 19: Dallas at St. Louis; Montreal at Toronto and Toronto at Montreal, split squads; Winnipeg at Edmonton; Chicago at Minnesota; Los Angeles vs. Vegas at Ontario, Calif.; Vancouver at Seattle.
Sunday, September 20: NY Islanders at New Jersey; San Jose at Anaheim; Nashville at Tampa Bay; Washington at Boston; Carolina at Florida; Utah at Colorado; Seattle at Calgary.
Monday, September 21: Buffalo at Pittsburgh; Detroit at Columbus; NY Rangers at New Jersey; Philadelphia vs. Washington at Hershey, Pa.; Montreal vs. Ottawa at Trois-Rivieres, Que. (Kraft Hockeyville); Colorado at Winnipeg; Minnesota at Chicago; St. Louis at Dallas.
What Changed This Year
The preseason used to run about two weeks with up to six games per team. Under the CBA that took effect this season, each club plays no more than four, and the whole slate fits in eight days. The tradeoff is two more regular season games, both against divisional opponents, taking the schedule from 82 to 84 games for the first time since 1993-94. Preseason results do not count toward the standings.
Neutral Site Games
Four games are at neutral sites: Los Angeles and Vegas in Ontario, California on September 19; Philadelphia and Washington in Hershey, Pennsylvania on September 21; Montreal and Ottawa in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec on September 21 as the Kraft Hockeyville game honoring Saint-Boniface; and Carolina and Nashville in Greensboro, North Carolina on September 24.