Can you feel the hockey approaching yet? The NHL regular season gets underway in just 34 days, with the Boston Bruins hosting the New York Rangers as part of the opening night festivities.
With the season continuing to creep closer, the NHL and its national broadcasting partners ESPN and TNT have announced their full slate of nationally televised games in the United States for the 2026-27 regular season.
The Bruins, as has become the norm, will be featured prominently throughout the season.
How prominently might still catch you off guard.
The regular season has been expanded to 84 games. Of those 84 games, 20 of Boston's games with nationally televised games. That's right, 1/4th of all of Boston's games will be on national television for the 2026-27 season.
The Bruins' first ESPN game of the year is opening night against the Rangers on ESPN.
Boston makes its first TNT appearance of the season on Nov. 18, when the Bruins visit the Detroit Red Wings for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
Patrice Bergeron's jersey retirement night on December 1 against the Colorado Avalanche will air on TNT, with full coverage on NESN as usual.
After football season ends and the NHL receives ABC's Saturday Night Prime-time TV slots, the Bruins will play five Saturday games on ABC: 1/16 at the Rangers, 2/27 hosting the Detroit Red Wings, 3/6 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4/3 vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, and 4/10 at Tampa Bay.
Six games have had time changes announced, per Bruins PR, including three home games. Those games are listed below with their new start times:
Monday, Feb. 15: Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins, 2 p.m. ET (NESN)
Saturday, Feb. 27: Detroit Red Wings at Boston Bruins, 12:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Saturday, March 6: Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins, 12:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Thursday, March 11: Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Thursday, April 1: Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. ET (NESN)
Wednesday, April 7: Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
It's shaping up to be an incredibly exciting season for the Bruins. Their youth looks to take the next step, while veteran leaders need to lead the way.
Boston remains poised to name its next captain in the coming weeks, with training camp opening in just a few short weeks.
David Pastrnak would seem to be the favorite, but that remains under lock-and-seal on the Bruins end, and is pure speculation.
