Preview for Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Schedule and player information can change.

Opening night, Tuesday, September 29, 2026

The 2026-27 NHL regular season begins on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 with a five-game slate. The Florida Panthers visit the Carolina Hurricanes with a start listed at 5:00 PM EDT, followed by the Montreal Canadiens at the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:00 PM EDT and the New York Rangers at the Boston Bruins at 8:00 PM EDT. The night finishes out west as the Vancouver Canucks visit the Edmonton Oilers at 10:00 PM EDT and the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30 PM EDT.

Opening week ramps up quickly after that first night. September 30 brings a lighter slate of 3 games, before October 1 jumps to 8 games. The schedule eases slightly to 5 games on October 2, then peaks at 13 games on October 3, the busiest day of the week, before settling back to 5 games on October 4 and 4 games on October 5.

Looking back at last season's numbers gives some sense of which teams controlled play most consistently. In shot-share terms, the Carolina Hurricanes led the league with a CF% of 59.3 and an xGF% of 56.2, with the Colorado Avalanche close behind at 56.0 CF% and 56.1 xGF%, and the Vegas Golden Knights, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning also appearing among the leaders in expected-goal share. These figures describe last season's regular season and reflect which teams generated a larger share of shot attempts and quality scoring chances relative to their opponents.

On the scoreboard, the Colorado Avalanche produced the most goals for last season with 298, ahead of the Hurricanes at 291, the Pittsburgh Penguins at 290, the Lightning at 286 and the Buffalo Sabres at 283. Colorado also allowed the fewest goals against at 197, with the Dallas Stars next at 222, followed by the Lightning at 229, the Minnesota Wild at 235 and the New York Islanders at 236. Those goals-for and goals-against totals are simple counts of scoring produced and allowed over last season, separate from the shot-share measures, and together they outline which teams were most effective at each end of the ice a season ago.

Statistical scope: Natural Stat Trick; 2025-26 regular season, all situations, full season; last season's figures.

Opening night at a glance

  • Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes · 5:00 PM EDT
  • Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs · 7:00 PM EDT
  • New York Rangers at Boston Bruins · 8:00 PM EDT
  • Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers · 10:00 PM EDT
  • Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights · 10:30 PM EDT

When WP picks return

Every WP Auto Pick from the 2025-26 regular season and the 2026 playoffs is graded on the track record page, with the picks archive by date.

WP Auto Picks return on opening night once starting goalies are confirmed, and the daily overview and matchup previews resume on September 29, 2026.

Predictions are uncertain; no outcome is guaranteed. Check the picks page for the latest available selections.