Plan your weekends, get your tickets, think about road trips, and get ready for Blue Jackets hockey!
The 2026-27 NHL schedule is here, and CBJ fans now know when they can head to Nationwide Arena – or perhaps some other barns around the NHL – to root on the squad. Whether you’re a loyal season ticket holder or just looking to have a few nights out, the 84-game slate features 42 home games where Nationwide will be rocking.
Download the complete 2026-27 schedule at BlueJackets.com/download
Every schedule brings its unique aspects each season, and this one is no different. Here’s a collection of notes, thoughts and observations about the CBJ schedule.
Home cooking to start: If you’ve been waiting to get back to Nationwide to cheer on the Jackets, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to do so in October. Not only will the Jackets begin the season Oct. 1 at home vs. Buffalo, but seven of the first nine games will be in Columbus, including a trio of Saturday contests vs. Utah (Oct. 3), the New York Rangers (Oct. 17) and Vegas (Oct. 24). The early homestand also should give the Blue Jackets a chance to build momentum and get off to a good start.
A Metro finish: On the other end of the schedule, the Blue Jackets’ home stretch will feature a bevy of four-point games. The last four games on the slate – April 3 at Washington, April 6 vs. the Caps, April 8 vs. Philadelphia and the finale April 10 at the New York Islanders – will be against Metropolitan Division foes, so if the Blue Jackets are in a competition for a wild card spot as in years past, those could be crucial contests to move up and down against the squads they’re battling.
Holiday hockey: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are always popular home dates – after all, what better way to spend a holiday with the family than heading down to a game? – and the Blue Jackets will offer plenty of opportunities to host during the holiday season. The schedule features bookends on either side of Thanksgiving, with the Jackets welcoming New Jersey on Wednesday and then the Red Wings on Friday. If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer that can be opened a few days before Christmas, Montreal comes to town on Dec. 22 and Edmonton on Dec. 27. And the traditional New Year’s Eve party for the Jackets will take place Dec. 31 when Alex Ovechkin and the Caps invade Columbus. The only downside? You can’t really plan a Valentine’s Day date with the CBJ this year, as the Jackets will be on a road trip from Feb. 13-18.
A rivalry Friday: How’s this for scheduling? We mentioned that Black Friday date with the Red Wings, but there’s another wrinkle to the proceedings. The Ohio State football team will host Michigan a day later at Ohio Stadium, making it a weekend of showdowns in Columbus between Ohio and what some call The State Up North. In this space, we have nothing bad to say about Wolverines like Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, but the game against the Red Wings does provide a cool tie-in to one of sport’s great rivalries.
Weekend warriors: We’ve already mentioned a few of these, but if you’re a fan of weekend hockey, this CBJ schedule is for you. Twelve of the Jackets’ 42 home games will be on Saturdays, with four more on Fridays and two on Sundays. There's nothing like Nationwide Arena when it's hopping on a weekend night, and there are plenty of Saturday options to choose from if you're a CBJ fan who enjoys a night out with their hockey.
Party time trips: Speaking of a good party, the two NHL cities most known for one are Nashville and Las Vegas. Those are always popular destinations for Blue Jackets fans looking to take in a road trip, so if you’re a member of the 5th Line who has never been in a visiting building, you’ll have plenty of company in Union Blue if you decide to head to either city. The Nashville road game will be on a Saturday, as Columbus heads to Broadway on Dec. 5, while Vegas hosts the Jackets on Thursday, Feb. 18. Book your flights now.
#CBJAfterDark: It’s become a hashtag for a reason, after all. The Blue Jackets’ West Coast trips may make for some late nights, but there’s an element of pride for those who stay up to watch the Jackets when the clock stretches past midnight. This year, the team heads out west three times, all in 2027. The annual Western Canada trip – another favorite of road-tripping CBJ diehards – will be first, as Columbus travels to take on Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Seattle from Jan. 12-18. After the All-Star break, the Blue Jackets will be on the road again, visiting Colorado, Utah and Vegas from Feb. 15-18. And maybe you’ll be on spring break when the Jackets head to sunny California, with games against San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim set for March 3-7.
The champs are here: Visiting teams can often be a draw as well, as you can truly enjoy the talents of Connor McDavid (Edmonton, Dec. 27) and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado, Nov. 3) up close and personal at Nationwide Arena. Then there’s the defending Stanley Cup champions, and this year it’s a Metropolitan Division foe in Carolina that will have the target of all comers on its back. The Hurricanes will visit Nationwide twice this year, heading to Columbus on Dec. 15 and March 1.
