How Many Games in an NHL Season? 84 Games Explained
Updated Sept. 21, 2026
How many games in an NHL season? Each team plays 84 games in the 2026-27 regular season. That is 42 at home and 42 on the road. Across all 32 teams the league plays 1,344 games.
The number went up from 82 this season under the new collective bargaining agreement. It is the first 84-game season since 1993-94.
NHL Season Length: Quick Facts
| Games per team | 84 |
| Home games | 42 |
| Road games | 42 |
| Total league games | 1,344 |
| Teams | 32 |
| Season starts | Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026 |
| Season ends | Saturday, April 10, 2027 |
| Days in the season | 194 days, 185 of them with games |
| Preseason games | 4 per team, down from 6 |
How Many Games Does Each NHL Team Play?
Every team plays 84 games. The split is even: 42 home and 42 away.
Here is how those 84 games are divided by opponent:
| Opponent type | Games | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division rivals | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| Same conference, other division | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| Other conference | 32 | 16 | 16 |
| Total | 84 | 42 | 42 |
Each team has seven division rivals and plays each of them four times, twice at home and twice away. That is where the two extra games went.
The old 82-game format carried 26 divisional games, and some rivals met only three times in a year, so one side got the extra home date. Now every division pair meets four times, split evenly.
How Many Total Games are in the NHL Regular Season?
The league plays 1,344 regular season games in 2026-27.
The math is simple. Multiply 84 games by 32 teams and you get 2,688. Divide by two, because every game involves two teams, and you land on 1,344.
Last season the same math on 82 games gave 1,312. So the schedule grew by 32 games, exactly one extra game per team.
Why Did the NHL Go From 82 to 84 Games?
The change comes from the collective bargaining agreement the league and the NHL Players’ Association ratified in June 2025.
Two things happened at once. The regular season gained two games, and the preseason lost two. Teams now play four exhibition games instead of six. So the total number of games a player suits up for in the fall stays about the same, but two more of them count in the standings.
Both new games are divisional. That was the point. Division games decide playoff spots, and the league wanted those matchups spread evenly instead of one team hosting three of four meetings.
How Long is the NHL Season?
The 2026-27 regular season runs 194 days, from Sept. 29, 2026 to April 10, 2027. Games are played on 185 of them.
That leaves almost no empty dates. Outside the holiday break, only two days have no hockey at all. Two dates put all 32 teams on the ice: Tuesday, Oct. 13 and the final Saturday, April 10.
A September start is rare. This is only the second time the NHL has opened a regular season in September. The last one was 2007-08.
How Many Games in an NHL Season by Year
The 82-game schedule was the standard for 31 seasons, from 1995-96 through 2025-26, with three of those years cut short. Here is how the number has moved in the modern era:
| Seasons | Games per team | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 84 | New CBA, two extra division games |
| 2021-22 to 2025-26 | 82 | Standard format |
| 2020-21 | 56 | Shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2013-14 to 2019-20 | 82 | 2019-20 paused in March and not completed |
| 2012-13 | 48 | Shortened by a lockout |
| 1995-96 to 2011-12 | 82 | 82 games became the standard in 1995-96 |
| 1994-95 | 48 | Shortened by a lockout, conference play only |
| 1992-93 and 1993-94 | 84 | The only other 84-game seasons |
Counting this year, the NHL has played an 84-game schedule three times in its 109-season history.
How Many Games Are in the NHL Playoffs?
The playoffs are separate from the 84. Sixteen teams qualify and every round is a best of seven series.
A team needs 16 wins to lift the Stanley Cup. The shortest possible run is 16 games, sweeping all four rounds. The longest is 28 games, if every round goes to a Game 7.
So a team that reaches the Final can play more than 100 games in a single season once the preseason is counted.
What I’m Watching
Two extra games sounds like nothing. Spread across a roster it is not. Goalies who played 60 starts now face a longer grind, and the season ends April 10 instead of mid-April, which squeezes the gap before the playoffs.
Boxing Day hockey is back too, for the first time since 2015. Watch which teams sit starters in late March once their seed is locked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many games are in an NHL season?
Each team plays 84 games in 2026-27, split 42 at home and 42 on the road. The league total is 1,344 games.
How many games did the NHL play before 2026-27?
Yes. The 82-game season was the standard from 1995-96 through 2025-26. The new collective bargaining agreement raised it to 84 starting in 2026-27.
How many home games does each NHL team play?
42 home games and 42 road games. The split is exactly even for all 32 teams.
How many times do division rivals play each other?
Four times, twice at home and twice away. That is 28 of the 84 games against the seven teams in your own division.
Why did the NHL add two games?
The 2025 collective bargaining agreement added two divisional games and cut the preseason from six games to four.
How long is the NHL regular season?
194 days in 2026-27, from Sept. 29, 2026 to April 10, 2027, with games on 185 of those days.
Has the NHL played 84 games before?
Yes, in 1992-93 and 1993-94. Counting this season, it has happened three times in 109 seasons.
How many games can a team play including the playoffs?
A team that goes to a Game 7 in all four rounds plays 28 playoff games on top of the 84, for 112 in total.
How many games in an NHL season? 84 per team in 2026-27, 42 home and 42 away, and 1,344 across the league. The two extra games are both against division rivals, and the preseason shrank to four games to make room.
Want to see how those 84 games fall for your team? Every date is on our NHL schedule page.
