ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues will open the 2026-27 regular season with a three-game road trip against Central Division foes, the NHL announced on Thursday afternoon.

The Blues will open the season with back-to-back games Oct. 2 against the Dallas Stars and Oct. 3 against the Colorado Avalanche before concluding with a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 6,

The Blues open the home schedule on Oct. 8 against the San Jose Sharks but play six of their first eight games away from Enterprise Center.

It's all part of a newly-formed 84-game schedule with fewer preseason games, going away from the standard 82-game schedule that features 22 weekend home games, including three on Fridays, 11 on Saturdays and eight on Sundays, which is a rarity for St. Louis.

The expanded NHL schedule will see the Blues play two additional divisional games, which means they will play in four matchups with each team of their Central Division opponents. The Blues will still play 24 games against Pacific Division teams and a home-and-home set with each team in the Eastern Conference.

The regular season wraps up for St. Louis on April 10, and for the third season in a row, the Blues will close against the Utah Mammoth at home.

The longest homestand of the season is six games from Nov. 27-Dec. 8, and the longest road trip is five games March 15-23. 

Other highlights include: 

* Sixteen of  19 home games on Saturday or Sunday start at 6 p.m. or earlier.

* The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes visit Enterprise Center early in the season on Oct. 24.

* The Blues play at the New York Islanders on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving on Long Island; they host the New York Rangers coming out of Christmas break on Dec. 27.

* There are seven afternoon home games and another four on the road, including a New Year's Eve tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights.

* There are 12 sets of back-to-back games, including to open season.

* Jordan Kyrou returns to face the Blues for the first time with the Washington Capitals on Nov. 28. It will also be Connor McMichael's first game against the Capitals since the two were traded for one another.

* Mason McTavish and Ross Johnston, acquired via trade and free agent signing, respectively, face the Anaheim Ducks for the first time when the Ducks visit on Nov. 17.

Here's the full schedule: