Winnipeg opens season against Boston before welcoming Montreal for an iconic outdoor clash, marking the league’s historic shift to an expanded, balanced regular-season slate.
The Winnipeg Jets will open a new era of NHL hockey at home against an Original Six opponent before hosting an outdoor game later in October, as the league unveiled its first-ever 84-game regular-season schedule Thursday.
Winnipeg opens the 2026-27 campaign on Friday, Oct. 2 against the Boston Bruins at Canada Life Centre before visiting the Detroit Red Wings two days later for its first road game of the season.
Photo by David Kirouac/USA Today The schedule also features one of the biggest events on the NHL calendar, with the Jets set to host the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium on Oct. 25. A long list of Winnipeg and Montreal alumni will also meet the previous day in an alumni game at Canada Life Centre.
For the first time ever, every club will play 84 regular-season games, increasing the schedule by two contests while maintaining a balanced 42-game home and 42-game road slate.
For the Jets, that means 28 games against Central Division opponents, three meetings with each Pacific Division club and home-and-home series against all 16 Eastern Conference teams.
Winnipeg will also see the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes twice within the opening month of the season. Nikolaj Ehlers and the Hurricanes visit Canada Life Centre on Oct. 17 before the Jets return the trip to Raleigh on Nov. 1.
The busiest stretch of the season comes in November, when Winnipeg plays 15 games.
Later in the year, the Jets will enjoy their longest homestand of the season, a six-game stretch at Canada Life Centre running from March 1-13.
Their longest trips away from home consist of three separate four-game road swings, although one extended stretch will keep Winnipeg away from Canada Life Centre for six consecutive games between Jan. 28 and Feb. 15. That run is split by the NHL's nine-day break for All-Star Weekend, scheduled for Feb. 5-6 on Long Island.
The Jets are scheduled to play nine sets of back-to-back games during the regular season. Six consist entirely of road contests, while two feature one home game and one road game. The only home back-to-back comes Dec. 19-20 against the Dallas Stars.
Saturday will once again be Winnipeg's busiest day of the week, with the Jets playing 19 times.
The Heritage Classic marks Winnipeg's first Canadian matchup of the season. Overall, the Jets will face Canadian clubs 14 additional times, including home dates against the Calgary Flames twice, the Vancouver Canucks twice, and single visits from the Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The full 84-game schedule can be found here:
