The NHL unveiled the schedule for the 2026-27 regular season on Thursday.

For the first time in more than three decades, each team will play 84 games in the regular season. That was one of the agreements the NHL and Players' Association reached in a memorandum of understanding for the collective bargaining agreement.

Each squad's getting two more divisional matchups as a result, which should make for some more exciting rivalry battles.

The season begins on Sept. 29, about a week earlier than usual to fit in the increased number of games, and runs through April 10.

Another tweak to the schedule is what the NHL calls a steady stream of Monday matinee games so that hockey fans in Europe can watch their favorite squads during their primetime hours.

Here are some key dates in the NHL schedule. All times are in Eastern Time.

Five games kick off the regular season, which the NHL announced Wednesday.

The Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup banner before facing the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. That begins a tripleheader in the United States that includes the Boston Bruins hosting the New York Rangers and the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens kick off a doubleheader in Canada, followed by the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks facing off.

In past years, the NHL and ESPN have organized an annual Frozen Frenzy, in which all 32 teams are in action and have staggered start times.

That's happening again. The Detroit Red Wings play the New Jersey Devils at 6 p.m., and a new game starts every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. After that, the Anaheim Ducks host the Calgary Flames at 9:45 p.m., then the Los Angeles Kings face the Oilers at 10:30 p.m. The San Jose Sharks and Bruins start the final game at 11 p.m.

Assuming the top two picks in the 2026 NHL draft, Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, are in the lineup, they'll play each other for the first time in The Show early in the campaign.

Assuming Brady Tkachuk is healthy, the former Ottawa Senators captain will play his first game at the Canadian Tire Centre since being granted a trade to the Florida Panthers this off-season. He said he's expecting boos.

If Tkachuk doesn't play in that game, the next time Florida's in Ottawa is March 18.

Leo Carlsson has the Flyers to thank for his five-year contract worth an NHL-high $18 million annually. Anaheim matched the offer sheet Philadelphia tendered to Carlsson, but the whole situation could increase tensions between the two clubs.

That's not to say there wasn't any tension between the Ducks and Flyers already, though. Ducks left winger Cutter Gauthier is public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia after requesting a trade from them a couple of years ago, and Flyers left winger Trevor Zegras scored twice against his former club in Philly this past season.

The Winnipeg Jets host the Canadiens in an outdoor game at Princess Auto Stadium.

Later that night, the Minnesota Wild are in Vancouver to take on the Canucks. Former Canucks captain Quinn Hughes hasn't played in Vancouver yet since the team traded him to Minnesota last December.

The Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken battle in Helsinki, Finland, over two games.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Panthers had some memorable battles over the last couple of years. If there aren't multiple fights and a ton of penalty minutes, you should be surprised.

The Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers celebrated their centennial season in 2025-26. Those squads are scheduled to play their 7,000th regular-season game ever early in December. The Wings play theirs on Dec. 4, with Chicago's coming a day later and the Rangers' happening on Dec. 7.

The Senators and Blackhawks are set to play two games in Dusseldorf, Germany, before the holidays.

The Golden Knights host the Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena, where Carolina won its second Stanley Cup in franchise history this past June. Carolina hosts Vegas on Jan. 17.

The Utah Mammoth are scheduled to play and host their first-ever NHL outdoor game. They'll face the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium in front of the Greater Rockies.

The New York Islanders host this season's all-star festivities. The All-Star Skills event on Feb. 5 features 10 young stars competing across eight events. The All-Star Game on Feb. 6 consists of five international teams competing in a 3-on-3, round-robin exhibition tournament.

The Dallas Stars and Golden Knights will battle for two points at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

The Maple Leafs travel to Sunrise to take on the Panthers, where new Buds goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky played for seven years.

At the same time, the Canucks will play the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. If Gallagher's in the lineup for Vancouver, this is expected to be his first game back in front of the fans who cheered for him for 14 years.

Alex Tuch was expected to be one of the top free agents to hit the market on July 1. About a week beforehand, however, he agreed on an eight-year contract with the Washington Capitals, and Buffalo traded him.

The NHL is ending the regular season with a bang, as all 32 teams face off.

The action gets started at noon. Games start at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., before five games start at 6 p.m., and another three begin at 7 p.m. Four more matchups get underway later in the evening.

In the past few years, there have been tight battles in the standings up to the final days of the season. We could see that again on April 10, because there are a bunch of games between squads that finished close together in the standings last season.

If the Calgary Flames miss the playoffs, their meeting with the Canucks on April 10 will also be the last game at the Saddledome. They're expected to move into the new Scotia Place in 2027-28.

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