The Avalanche will appear in 16 nationally televised games next season, including their first-ever Winter Classic matchup against the Utah Mammoth.
The Colorado Avalanche are going to be hard to miss next season.
The NHL's national television partners announced their 2026-27 schedules Wednesday, and the Avalanche landed 16 nationally televised games in the United States. That includes a pair of marquee matchups against the Dallas Stars early in the season, multiple games against Western Conference contenders and, most notably, Colorado's first-ever appearance in the Winter Classic.
ESPN and TNT Sports will split coverage of the Avalanche throughout the season, with seven of Colorado's 16 national games airing on TNT or TruTV and streaming on HBO Max. The other nine will be carried across ESPN, ESPN+ and ABC.
Colorado's season opens Sept. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings, with the game serving as the first of the Avalanche's seven TNT/TruTV appearances.
Colorado Avalanche 2026-27 National TV Schedule
- Sept. 30: vs. Los Angeles Kings — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
- Oct. 13: at Dallas Stars — ESPN
- Oct. 14: vs. Dallas Stars — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
- Nov. 5: vs. Nashville Predators — ESPN+
- Dec. 1: at Boston Bruins — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
- Dec. 8: at St. Louis Blues — ESPN+
- Dec. 31: at Utah Mammoth — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max — Winter Classic
- Jan. 12: at Pittsburgh Penguins — ESPN+
- Feb. 9: at Carolina Hurricanes — ESPN+
- Feb. 17: at Edmonton Oilers — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
- Feb. 28: at Chicago Blackhawks — ESPN
- March 15: vs. Edmonton Oilers — ESPN
- March 17: vs. Minnesota Wild — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
- March 23: vs. Utah Mammoth — ESPN+
- April 4: at Minnesota Wild — TNT, TruTV, HBO Max
- April 10: vs. Minnesota Wild — ABC
The biggest date on the schedule comes Dec. 31, when Colorado heads to Salt Lake City for a matchup with the Utah Mammoth at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
It will be the Avalanche's first Winter Classic appearance and their fourth outdoor game. Colorado has previously played outdoor games at Coors Field, the Air Force Academy and another Stadium Series venue, but the New Year's Eve matchup will put the franchise on one of the NHL's biggest regular-season stages for the first time.
The Avalanche will also get plenty of exposure against familiar opponents. They will play the Dallas Stars twice in a span of 48 hours in October, while national broadcasts are also scheduled for games against the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth.
Colorado's final nationally televised game of the regular season will come April 10 against Minnesota, with ABC carrying the matchup.
The 16 national broadcasts are part of an 84-game schedule for the Avalanche. The remainder of Colorado's games are expected to air locally on Altitude Sports, which has yet to announce its complete broadcast schedule.
For Colorado, the heavy national presence is another sign of how much interest the team continues to generate around the league.
