2026-27 NHL Season Odds, Schedule & Predictions

The 2026-27 NHL season is nearly upon us. The NHL regular season will start with five games on Tuesday, September 29, including an ESPN tripleheader. NHL betting futures show the usual suspects as favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup in June with the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes leading the way. The Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers aren’t far behind the Hurricanes, while the next batch of contenders are all listed at 10-1 or higher.

2026-27 NHL Regular Season Overview

The NHL 2026 season will start on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, and conclude with every team in action on Saturday, April 10, 2027. The regular season grind can be incredibly grueling for teams and players due to the physical toll that hockey puts on your body night after night, as we saw when the Florida Panthers failed to make the playoffs last season after winning two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. The wear and tear builds up in the regular season NHL, and veteran teams that made deep postseason runs the previous season can be particularly affected.

When Does the NHL Regular Season Start?

The NHL regular season will get underway on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

How Many Games Are Played?

All 32 teams will play 84 regular season games. The NHL regular season was 82 games long from the 1995-96 season to the 2025-26 season, but a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and players added two more regular season games and subtracted two preseason games.

Key Changes for the 2026-27 Season

The big change prior to the start of this season is the extended regular season. Every team will now play all of their division opponents four times (28 total games). Each team will also play every non-division team in their conference three times (24 total games) and every team in the opposing conference home and away (32 total games) to get to 84 regular season games.

Additionally, the new CBA is changing the rules surrounding emergency back-up goaltenders. Home teams will no longer be mandated to supply emergency back-up goaltenders for both teams, as teams must hire an emergency back-up goaltender to travel with them for road games.

NHL Regular Season Format Explained

The changes to the NHL regular season schedule are meant to make things more equitable for every team. There is more parity in the NHL than in any other major American sport, and that is highlighted by this new regular season format. We could see an even greater concentration of teams in the NHL standings as a result of this change.

Divisions and Conferences

There are 32 NHL teams that are broken into four divisions of eight teams apiece. The Atlantic Division and Metropolitan Division are part of the Eastern Conference, while the Central Division and Pacific Division are part of the Western Conference.

Points System Explained

Teams earn two points in the NHL standings for each regular season win whether it’s in regulation, overtime, or a shootout. Teams earn one point for playing to a tie in regulation and then losing in overtime or a shootout. Teams earn no points if they lose in regulation.

How Teams Qualify for the Playoffs

Playoff qualification works a bit differently in the NHL than it does in other professional sports leagues. A total of 16 teams will make the NHL Playoffs. The top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the postseason, accounting for 12 of those teams. The top two remaining teams in each conference then qualify as wild cards that go on to face one of the division winners in their conference.

2026-27 NHL Regular Season Schedule

This is a very busy NHL regular season schedule now that the league has expanded the regular season to 84 games. Teams will only have a handful of breaks with the longest break taking place during All-Star Weekend.

The NHL calendar will highlight four international games and three outdoor games. The Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes will play two games in November at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland, while the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators will play two games in December at PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany.

There are three outdoor games that will be tentpoles for the NHL regular season. The 2026 Heritage Classic will feature the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The NHL Winter Classic is once again on New Year’s Eve, and it will showcase the Utah Mammoth playing the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Finally, the 2027 NHL Stadium Series will see the Dallas Stars take on the Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Opening Night

Five games are scheduled for NHL Opening Night on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The ESPN tripleheader will highlight the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the Boston Bruins hosting the New York Rangers at 8 p.m. ET, and concluding with the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Chicago Blackhawks at 10:30 p.m. ET. Additionally, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. ET, and the Edmonton Oilers will host the Vancouver Canucks at 10 p.m. ET.

Important Rivalry Matchups

Original Six games always bring a certain level of excitement, as do regional rivalries. There are particularly fierce rivalries between the Canadian teams, and the rivalry between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning became really intense after the two teams combined to win the Eastern Conference for six straight seasons prior to last year.

Final Weeks of the Season

Due to the parity in the NHL, playoff spots aren’t typically decided until very late in the regular season. That’s why the final day of the regular season is so important. All 32 teams are in action against conference opponents.

Teams to Watch During the NHL Regular Season

It’s easier to go from worst to first for NHL teams than it is in any of the major sports. The NHL Playoffs are a great equalizer and it’s rare to see even the best NHL hockey teams with NHL betting odds over -350 to advance. Still, home ice advantage is important, so teams aim to finish high in the standings to get an extra edge in the postseason.

Stanley Cup Contenders

Carolina is in good shape to potentially repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The Hurricanes don’t have many stars, but they have a lot of very good players. Goaltender Brandon Bussi emerged as the natural successor to Frederik Andersen in the offseason, and head coach Rod Brind’Amour has led the franchise to the postseason in each of his eight previous seasons at the helm.

The Colorado Avalanche are another team that must be respected. Colorado was incredible in the regular season last year, and the Avalanche rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They were the favorites to win the Stanley Cup ahead of the Western Conference Finals before getting swept by the Vegas Golden Knights, and they are still incredibly talented. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are two of the best players in the league, and Colorado ranked first in goals scored (298) and goals allowed (197) in 2025-26.

Breakout Teams

Minnesota could be poised to break through in a big way. The Wild haven’t made it to the Western Conference Finals since the 2002-03 season where they could only score one goal in a four-game sweep at the hands of Anaheim. This team is full of young talented players, led by Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, and goaltender Jesper Wallstedt.

Teams Facing the Most Pressure

There’s no doubt that Edmonton is under more pressure than any other franchise. The Oilers have yet to win a Stanley Cup despite the fact that they have had the best player in the NHL on their roster for the last several years. Connor McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leader in points six times, and he has been named the Hart Trophy winner (MVP) three times. Additionally, the Oilers boast a top five player in Leon Draisaitl.

NHL Standings and Playoff Race

While the Colorado Avalanche were clearly the NHL’s best team last season with 121 points and the Vancouver Canucks were the bottom team in the NHL standings with a paltry 58 points, there was a lot of parity. Every other team finished between 113 points and 72 points, and eight teams missed the postseason by eight points or less. That means the race to make the NHL playoffs will be tight throughout the season.

Division Leaders

To further highlight the parity in the NHL, no team has odds of more than 100-1 to win the Stanley Cup. The Atlantic Division was a tight race last year with just 10 points separating first-place Buffalo from fifth-place Ottawa. Carolina dominated the Metropolitan Division and finished ahead of both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia by 15 points. Dallas finished with the third-most points in the NHL but finished in second place in the Central Division thanks to Colorado, while the Pacific Division was the worst division in the NHL. Division winners Vegas would have entirely missed the Eastern Conference Playoffs with 95 points.

Wild Card Battle

The battle to earn one of the Wild Card spots will be close all year and will heat up over the final few weeks of the regular season.

Presidents' Trophy Race

As with the Stanley Cup odds, the favorites to win the Presidents’ Trophy are Carolina, Florida, and Colorado. Much is made of the Presidents’ Trophy “curse” as only eight Presidents’ Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup over the last 40 years, but that is a higher win rate than any other playoff seed.

NHL Regular Season Predictions

It’s time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to finally fade away, so one of my favorite NHL season predictions is betting the Pittsburgh Penguins to finish under their point total and not make the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin is 40, Sidney Crosby is 39, and Kris Letang is 39, so it’s long past time for this franchise to hit the reset button.

Best Futures Value

There is solid value on the Minnesota Wild to win the Stanley Cup at 12-1 given their youth and potential. Montreal is an intriguing team with lots of value at 25-1 too per the NHL futures odds. The Canadiens made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season despite having one of the youngest rosters in the league

Surprise Playoff Teams

The New Jersey Devils were the second-worst team in the Metropolitan Division last year, but they still have some talented players and can turn things around quickly. New Jersey has 25-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup.

Presidents' Trophy Prediction

I believe the Florida Panthers are ready to go on a tear in the regular season. Florida missed the playoffs after winning consecutive Stanley Cup Finals due to injuries and fatigue, but the Panthers had a long offseason to rest and recuperate.

NHL Team Props and Season Markets

Stanley Cup betting odds aren’t the only team-related NHL props you can bet before the start of the regular season. There are also NHL betting odds available for regular season point totals, odds to make the playoffs, and division winner betting.

Regular Season Point Totals

With this type of wager, you are betting over or under the total number of points that a team will finish with at the end of the NHL regular season.

To Make the Playoffs

This is a very straightforward bet as bettors are simply betting on whether or not a specific team will make it to the playoffs.

Division Finish Betting

Division betting odds are available for the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific Division. Currently, Florida, Carolina, Colorado, and Edmonton are the favorites in each of their respective divisions.

Betting Strategies for the NHL Regular Season

There will be plenty of hockey betting odds available over the next several months. This is the second-longest regular season in major sports next to Major League Baseball, so it’s important to have an NHL betting strategy with hockey.

Identifying Early Value

One of the best things you can do as a bettor is to figure out which teams are legitimate over the first week of the regular season. It’s important not to get sucked into betting teams that only score on power plays or with their first lines, as the best teams are well-rounded and get a high percentage of their goals at even strength.

Back-to-Back Scheduling Spots

It’s very difficult to play on back-to-back nights, so teams playing their second game in two days are often at a disadvantage against a more rested opponent.

Travel and Rest Advantages

Teams fare better when they are playing at home and on more rest, so that will factor into NHL betting odds throughout the season.

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