NHL Games on TV Today – Tuesday, September 29, 2026 (ET)
Hockey is back. The 2026-27 NHL regular season opens tonight with a five-game slate, headlined by a banner-raising ceremony in Raleigh and the likely NHL debut of the No. 1 overall pick in Toronto.
ESPN carries an opening-night tripleheader in the United States, while Sportsnet has a doubleheader in Canada. This is also the first 84-game season in the NHL since 1993-94, part of a 1,344-game schedule negotiated under the new collective bargaining agreement.
Tuesday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Venue | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00 PM | Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | Lenovo Center, Raleigh | ESPN |
| 7:00 PM | Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto | Sportsnet |
| 8:00 PM | New York Rangers at Boston Bruins | TD Garden, Boston | ESPN |
| 10:00 PM | Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers | Rogers Place, Edmonton | Sportsnet |
| 10:30 PM | Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas | ESPN |
🏒 Game of the Day: Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
5:00 PM ET | ESPN (US) · Lenovo Center, Raleigh
The season begins with a ceremony 20 years in the making. The Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup championship banner before facing the Florida Panthers, marking the franchise’s second title and its first since 2006.
Carolina earned it the hard way, going 12-1 through three rounds before surviving one of the most chaotic Finals in memory against Vegas – a series that included a four-goal comeback, a double-overtime loss, three goals in a record 39 seconds, and a 3-0 shutout in the clincher. Captain Jordan Staal took home the Conn Smythe Trophy, and goaltender Brandon Bussi went from two months without a game to winning three straight starts in the Final.
Florida is a fitting first opponent. The Panthers have been the most consistent measuring stick in the Eastern Conference for years, and an opening night in a building that will be loud from the first note of the banner ceremony gives both teams an early read on where they stand.
Watch for how Carolina handles the emotional hangover of a ceremony night – historically a tricky assignment – and whether Rod Brind’Amour’s forecheck picks up where it left off in June.
Prediction: Carolina rides the crowd to a tight opening-night win.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
7:00 PM ET | Sportsnet (Canada) · Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
The most anticipated debut of the season lands in the middle of the sport’s oldest rivalry. Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 overall pick, is expected to make his first NHL appearance for Toronto against a Montreal side coming off a run to the Eastern Conference Final.
The Canadiens arrive with real momentum after two road Game 7 wins last spring and a young core – Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov and rookie-of-the-spring goaltender Jakub Dobes – that grew up in a hurry. Toronto, meanwhile, is betting on a generational talent to reshape its ceiling.
Prediction: A wide-open, high-emotion opener – and Montreal’s depth wins it.
New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins
8:00 PM ET | ESPN (US) · TD Garden, Boston
An Original Six meeting to open the year, with Boston back at TD Garden after a first-round exit against Buffalo that was far closer than the scoreline suggested. The Bruins took the Sabres to six games as the East’s first wild card, and Marco Sturm’s side defends the middle of the ice as well as any team in the conference.
The Rangers missed out on the postseason picture and open a season that will be judged on whether their retooled group can keep pace in a deep Metropolitan Division.
Prediction: Boston’s structure holds at home in a low-scoring opener.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers
10:00 PM ET | Sportsnet (Canada) · Rogers Place, Edmonton
Edmonton opens at home after a jarring end to last season, when the two-time defending Western Conference champions were eliminated in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain the most dangerous duo in hockey, and this is the first look at how the Oilers responded to that exit.
Prediction: Edmonton’s top end is too much on opening night.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vegas Golden Knights
10:30 PM ET | ESPN (US) · T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
The Western Conference champions open at home after a run that included a four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche and a six-game Final. John Tortorella, hired with 10 games left in last season, now gets a full year with a roster built around Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev.
Chicago provides the nightcap opposition as it continues to build around its young forward group.
Prediction: Vegas opens with a comfortable win.
Key Dates for the 2026-27 Season
Oct. 25: Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic – Winnipeg Jets host the Montreal Canadiens outdoors.
Nov. 18 & 20: NHL Global Series Finland – Hurricanes vs. Kraken in Helsinki.
Dec. 18 & 20: NHL Global Series Germany – Blackhawks vs. Senators in Dusseldorf.
Dec. 31: Discover NHL Winter Classic – Utah Mammoth host Colorado at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Feb. 5-6: All-Star Skills and All-Star Game at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York – the game’s return after two years away.
Feb. 20: NHL Stadium Series – Dallas Stars host Vegas at AT&T Stadium.
April 10, 2027: Regular season ends, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning in mid-April.
Five games, a championship banner, a No. 1 pick’s debut and the start of the league’s first 84-game season in more than three decades. It all begins tonight in Raleigh.
