The 2026 NHL preseason is concentrated in late September, with the official team schedules checked for this guide running primarily from September 19 through September 26. Beginning in 2026-27, an NHL club may play no more than four preseason games. The regular season then opens September 29.
Last updated July 27, 2026. Clubs publish and update their own exhibition dates, start times, venues, tickets and broadcasts. This guide explains the confirmed window and new format without presenting an unofficial aggregation as a final leaguewide schedule.
2026 NHL preseason dates at a glance
Several clubs released their four-game slates in June and July. The official examples below show how compact the schedule has become. They are a planning snapshot, not a replacement for your team’s latest page.
| Team | First preseason game | Last preseason game | Games announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Wild | September 19 | September 25 | 4 |
| Edmonton Oilers | September 19 | September 26 | 4 |
| Calgary Flames | September 20 | September 26 | 4 |
| Utah Mammoth | September 20 | September 26 | 4 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | September 21 | September 26 | 4 |
The dates come from those clubs’ official announcements. They demonstrate the main September 19-26 window, but another team may open on a different day or revise a time. Use the club’s official schedule or news page before buying travel. NHL game times are commonly displayed in the team’s local time zone, so confirm the zone as well as the date.
Unlike the regular season, the preseason is not best served by copying a static all-league table that can become stale. Once meaningful games begin, the complete regular-season schedule provides every confirmed matchup and start time.
Why teams play only four preseason games
The shorter preseason is part of the collective bargaining changes taking effect for 2026-27. The NHL’s explanation of the new CBA says the preseason will have a maximum of four games per team, while the regular season expands from 82 to 84.
That is a substantial reduction from recent exhibition schedules. In 2025-26, the NHL announced a 104-game leaguewide preseason running for 15 days, and clubs commonly played more than four times. The 2026 format compresses evaluations and preparation into roughly a week for many teams.
“Maximum” matters: the rule is an upper limit, not a promise that every club must play exactly four games under every circumstance. The official team examples checked here all list four, but fans should still follow the current club schedule rather than applying one team’s pattern to all 32.
What preseason games are for
Preseason games are exhibitions. They look like NHL games and are played in NHL arenas or selected neutral venues, but the results do not count toward regular-season standings, playoff qualification or the 84-game team total.
For hockey operations staffs, the limited slate has several jobs:
- Roster evaluation: prospects, new signings and depth players compete for limited places.
- Systems work: coaches introduce tactical changes and test special-teams combinations.
- Game conditioning: regular players move from practice pace toward meaningful competition.
- Operational preparation: teams and arenas rehearse game-night procedures before opening night.
Fans should expect lineups to change. A star appearing in one exhibition is not a guarantee that the player will dress in the next one, and a prospect receiving heavy minutes does not automatically indicate an opening-night roster place. Check same-day team communications for the lineup instead of buying a ticket based on an assumed player appearance.
Tickets, TV and streaming are team-specific
There is no single safe answer to “Where can I watch every 2026 NHL preseason game?” Broadcast coverage and streaming access vary by club, market and game. Some team announcements publish only dates first and add television or streaming details later.
Calgary’s original June announcement said ticket sales and broadcast information would come later. Philadelphia likewise initially listed its four dates while saying broadcast information, pricing and on-sale dates would be announced separately. Edmonton stated that its non-televised preseason games would stream through OilersPlus, but that club-specific option should not be generalized to another team.
Use this checklist before committing money or time:
- Open the latest schedule or news post on the team’s official site.
- Confirm whether the listed time is ET, CT, MT, PT or another local zone.
- Follow the club or venue link to the authorized primary ticket seller.
- Check the official broadcast note close to game day, including geographic restrictions.
- Do not assume “not on national TV” means a legal free stream is available.
Ticket packages and on-sale dates can differ even between two clubs in the same matchup. A neutral-site exhibition may also use a venue seller different from either team’s normal arena. The current official event page is more reliable than an old social graphic or resale listing.
How preseason leads into opening night
The schedule leaves little separation between the final exhibitions and the first regular-season games. Several checked teams finish September 26, and the regular season begins September 29. In that interval, clubs complete final evaluations, make roster decisions and travel into their opening assignments.
The NHL regular season opens with five games on September 29 and expands to an 84-game schedule for every club. The guide to the 2026-27 schedule release explains when the full slate arrived and what changed.
Once the regular season begins, use the site’s dynamic tools for current planning:
- NHL games today for the daily slate
- this week’s NHL games for short-term planning
- NHL calendar options for a digital schedule
- printable regular-season schedules for an offline reference
Those pages primarily cover the official regular-season slate. Continue to use your team’s own announcement for preseason changes, especially if a venue, start time or viewing option is adjusted.
Frequently asked questions
When does the 2026 NHL preseason start?
The official team schedules checked for this guide begin as early as September 19, 2026. A club’s first game can differ, so confirm the date on that team’s official page.
How many preseason games does each NHL team play?
The new CBA permits a maximum of four preseason games per team in 2026-27. The teams sampled in this guide announced four-game slates, but “maximum” is not the same as a universal guarantee.
Do preseason games count in the standings?
No. Preseason results are exhibitions and do not award regular-season points. Each team starts the September 29 opening night with a clean regular-season record.
Will every preseason game be televised?
Do not assume so. Television and streaming plans are announced by teams and media partners, sometimes after the matchup dates. Availability can also depend on location and subscription status.
When does the 2026-27 NHL regular season start?
The regular season starts Tuesday, September 29, 2026, three days after many clubs conclude their preseason schedules.
Cover photo by Jar-Lar, CC BY-SA 4.0; cropped and converted to WebP.
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