Red Wings release 2026-27 regular-season schedule

Red Wings will host Centennial Celebration Game on Wednesday, November 18, marking 100th anniversary of Detroit’s first NHL game vs. Boston Bruins

NHL expands regular season to 84 games for 2026-27 campaign

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their schedule for the 2026-27 regular season and the team’s 101st overall in the National Hockey League. The Red Wings will open the season on home ice at Little Caesars Arena with an Original Six matchup against the New York Rangers on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Ticket on-sale information for the preseason and regular season, including special theme nights and promotional giveaways, will be announced at a later date. Fans can sign up for the priority presale list today for the opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public by visiting the 2026-27 Priority Presale page.

Fans can also choose from two available 10-game plans, presented by Coca-Cola, including the Original Six game plan and the Hockeytown game plan. Visit DetroitRedWings.com/10gameplans for more information.

This season’s 84-game slate features 28 games against Atlantic Division rivals, three games against the eight teams in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division (24 games) and two games against all 16 Western Conference foes (32 games).

Of the 42 NHL games to be played at Little Caesars Arena, 21 are scheduled for weekends including seven Fridays, 10 Saturdays and four Sundays. The Red Wings will spend the most time on home ice during the months of October and January, with nine home games scheduled for each month.

The Red Wings will enjoy an early home-ice advantage to begin the 2026-27 season, playing seven of their first eight games inside Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings open the 2026-27 campaign with four consecutive home games, starting on Friday, Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers at 6:30 p.m. before hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Oct. 4, Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and Seattle Kraken on Friday, Oct. 9. Detroit’s first road game of the season will be an Original Six clash against the Montréal Canadiens on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Red Wings will wrap up October with a pair of home games, facing the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, Oct. 29 before a Halloween matinee against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Detroit will start the month of November with a stretch of six-of-seven games away from Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings will make a pair of trips to the Sunshine State for contests against the Florida Panthers (Monday, Nov. 2 and Thursday, Nov. 12) and Tampa Bay Lightning (Tuesday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 14). On Wednesday, Nov. 18, Detroit will honor a century of hockey tradition when the Red Wings face the Boston Bruins in the Centennial Celebration game, which marks the 100th anniversary of the franchise’s inaugural NHL game in 1926. The Red Wings will also host their annual night before Thanksgiving game on Wednesday, Nov. 25 against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Red Wings open December with home games against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, Dec. 3. Detroit will also welcome the New York Rangers (Friday, Dec. 11) and Florida Panthers (Saturday, Dec. 12) to Little Caesars Arena on consecutive nights, one of a dozen back-to-backs the Red Wings will play during the 2026-27 season. Prior to the NHL’s holiday break, the Red Wings will battle a pair of Atlantic Division opponents on home ice, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, Dec. 20 and Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Detroit will also host its traditional New Year's Eve matchup on Thursday, Dec. 31 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

January will begin with a home game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Jan. 2 and features a meeting with the Boston Bruins at Little Caesars Arena the following Saturday, Jan. 9. After making their lone trip to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday, Jan. 16, the Red Wings will play six of their next seven games on home ice, including a four-game homestand with matchups against the Tampa Bay Lightning (Saturday, Jan. 23), Pittsburgh Penguins (Monday, Jan. 25), Toronto Maple Leafs (Wednesday, Jan. 27) and Florida Panthers (Friday, Jan. 29).

The Red Wings will start February in the midst of a nine-day break - spanning back to Saturday, January 30 at Columbus - to accommodate the NHL All-Star Game. Upon returning to NHL action, the team will depart for a four-game road trip out West to play the Anaheim Ducks (Tuesday, Feb. 9), Los Angeles Kings (Thursday, Feb. 11), San Jose Sharks (Saturday, Feb. 13) and Vegas Golden Knights (Monday, Feb. 15). The home slate for the month features contests against the Montréal Canadiens (Thursday, Feb. 18) and Buffalo Sabres (Sunday, Feb. 21). From there, the Red Wings will embark on a four-game road swing bookended by visits to Toronto (Tuesday, Feb. 23 and Monday, March 1 at Scotiabank Arena).

Detroit will host seven games during the month of March, highlighted by weekend matchups against the Dallas Stars (Saturday, March 6), Buffalo Sabres (Friday, March 12) and Montréal Canadiens (Saturday, March 20). The Red Wings will also play a home-and-home set against the Washington Capitals (Tuesday, March 23 at Capital One Arena and Wednesday, March 24 at Little Caesars Arena). Following a road game in Montréal on Sunday, March 28, the Red Wings will return home to play the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, March 30 and Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, April 2.

The final home game of the season will take place on Friday, April 9 when the Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Detroit’s regular-season finale will be held at KeyBank Center on Saturday, April 10, against the Buffalo Sabres.

Please note scheduled game times are subject to change