RALEIGH, N.C. - The National Hockey League unveiled its opening night matchups for the 2026-27 regular season on Wednesday, putting the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers head-to-head to kick off the campaign.
The defending Stanley Cup Champions will play host to the 2024 & 2025 Stanley Cup Champions at Lenovo Center on Tuesday, September 29. The matchup will feature a special start time of 5 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN in the United States. Before puck drop, Carolina will raise its second championship banner.
The NHL's full 2026-27 regular season schedule will be announced tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m. ET. Coming off the 2025-26 season that saw record-breaking viewership and attendance, the 2026-27 regular-season schedule will feature 1,344 games – 84 per team – including two additional divisional games per team.
Carolina sold out all 82 regular-season games last season, plus all 10 postseason games, extending their current sell-out streak to 168 games.
