NHL national television schedule announced for 2026-27 season

TNT Sports and ESPN each announced their national TV schedules for the NHL on Wednesday.

TNT, which will be the home of the 2027 Stanley Cup Final, unveiled a schedule of 72 regular-season games, including the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic and the NHL Discover Winter Classic.

ESPN will broadcast 100 exclusive games, with 53 on ESPN and ABC and 47 on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu. Part of that package will be the "NHL Frozen Frenzy" on Oct. 13, a night when all 32 teams are in action; the 2027 Honda All-Star Weekend from UBS Arena on Long Island; and the 2027 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.

ESPN also will broadcast the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The TNT schedule will start with a doubleheader Sept. 30 featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Philadelphia Flyers (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Los Angeles Kings at the Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET).

TNT's schedule also includes the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 25; the annual Thanksgiving Showdown, this season a doubleheader Nov. 27 starting with the New York Rangers at the Chicago Blackhawks (5:30 p.m. ET), followed by the Penguins at Buffalo Sabres (8 p.m. ET). TNT also is the home of the Discover NHL Winter Classic, which this season will see the Utah Mammoth host the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Dec. 31 (6 p.m. ET).

"NHL on TNT" will present a Martin Luther King Jr. Day doubleheader Jan. 18, beginning with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Boston Bruins (1:30 p.m. ET), followed by Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at Sidney Crosby and the Penguins (4 p.m. ET).

"NHL on TNT" regular-season coverage will conclude April 8 with the Flyers at the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30 p.m. ET).

ESPN's coverage begins with an opening-night tripleheader Sept. 29. It starts with the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Florida Panthers (5 p.m. ET). Then the Rangers play at the Boston Bruins (8 p.m. ET), followed by the Blackhawks at the Vegas Golden Knights (10:30 p.m. ET).

The Frozen Frenzy on Oct. 13 will be led by another tripleheader, this one beginning with the New Jersey Devils at the Detroit Red Wings (6 p.m. ET), followed by the Avalanche at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET) and Bruins at San Jose Sharks (11 p.m. ET).

"ABC Hockey Saturday" returns Jan. 16, with an Original Six matchup between the Bruins and Rangers (Noon ET). That launches a schedule of 16 Saturday games on ABC through the remainder of the regular season.

All-Star Weekend will be Feb. 5-6, with this season's event taking on a global twist featuring the world's best players representing five national teams (Canada, Finland, Sweden, United States and a World Team) in a 3-on-3 round-robin tournament. The NHL All-Star Skills competition will be Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) and the 2027 Honda NHL All-Star Game is Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET (ABC).

The Stadium Series game will see the Stars host the Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, on Feb. 20 (8 p.m. ET).

In addition to 47 exclusive games on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu, more than 1,050 out-of-market games will be accessible through "NHL Power Play" on the ESPN App -- available to all ESPN DTC subscribers -- throughout the season.

ESPN's signature NHL studio show, "The Point," returns for its sixth season this fall, delivering weekly pregame coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The season premiere airs Sept. 29 (4 p.m. ET) on ESPN and ESPN+ as part of ESPN's opening-night tripleheader.