While we might be in the middle of July, we're inching closer to the start of the National Hockey League's 2026-27 season, which will begin much earlier than in previous years.
When the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association ratified the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) last summer, one of the biggest changes we saw was the increase in the amount of regular season games each team will play, going from 82 to 84 starting this fall.
This isn't the first time we've seen the National Hockey League expand the regular season to 84 games. At the conclusion of a ten-day strike in 1992, the NHL agreed to go from 80 to 84 games for the next two seasons (1992-93 & 1993-94) with those additional games being hosted in neutral sites and was used as a test for future expansion.
That won't be the case this time around as the additional two games will be played between divisional opponents in their own arenas. Montreal will now host 42 games at the Bell Centre every year, with the other 42 coming on the road.
NHL unveils Montreal Canadiens 2026-27 regular season schedule
As was announced by the National Hockey League on Wednesday, the Canadiens will begin the 2026-27 campaign on the road. They'll face the Maple Leafs in Toronto on the opening night of the season - Tuesday, September 29th at 7 pm ET. The Canadiens will then head to Pittsburgh for the Penguins' home opener on Saturday, October 3rd.
Montreal's home opener is set for Tuesday, October 6th at 7 pm ET against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, who the Canadiens fell to in Eastern Conference Final.
Before we look at Montreal's full slate for the 2026-27 season, here are some other noteworthy moments fans should know:
- 2026 Heritage Classic in Winnipeg on Sunday, October 25th.
- The Canadiens have ten back-to-backs this season.
- Longest road trip is four games (they'll have five four-game road trips this season).
- Longest homestand is five games (early-December).
- Weekday afternoon games at 1 pm ET on January 18th (@ Buffalo) & February 22nd (@ Philadelphia) for Martin Luther King Jr. Day & Presidents' Day, respectively.
- Canadiens' annual pre & post-Christmas road trip won't occur this season. Montreal will face Toronto on Boxing Day at the Bell Centre.
- Canadiens' Western Canadian (+Seattle) road trip comes in late-January/early-February 2027.
- 2026 NHL All-Star Game & Canadiens bye week: February 4th to 12th.
- Montreal's annual Super Bowl Weekend back-to-back returns after a two-year hiatus due to the 4 Nations Face-Off & 2026 Winter Olympics.
- California road trip occurs in late-February/early-March 2027.
- Longtime Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher will return to the Bell Centre with the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, March 6th.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at Montreal's full 2026-27 season, going month-by-month.
September/October
It's going to be a busy opening month of the season for the Montreal Canadiens. In October alone, the Canadiens will play a total of 13 games, seven of which will come on home ice at the Bell Centre. October will also feature Montreal's first back-to-back of the 2026-27 campaign - Tuesday, October 13th vs Buffalo at 6:30 pm ET and Wednesday, February 14th @ Washington at 7:30 pm ET.
- Tuesday, September 29th @ Toronto (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, October 3rd @ Pittsburgh (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, October 6th vs Carolina (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, October 8th vs Nashville (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, October 10th vs Detroit (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, October 13th vs Buffalo (6:30 pm ET)
- Wednesday, October 14th @ Washington (7:30 pm ET)
- Saturday, October 17th vs Buffalo (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, October 20th vs San Jose (7 pm ET)
- Friday, October 23rd @ Chicago (8 pm ET)
- Sunday, October 25th @ Winnipeg (7 pm ET) **2026 Heritage Classic**
- Tuesday, October 27th @ St. Louis (8 pm ET)
- Thursday, October 29th @ Dallas (8 pm ET)
- Saturday, October 31st vs Pittsburgh (7 pm ET)
November
November is set to feature a total of 14 games for the Montreal Canadiens this season. Eight of those games will come on the road, including a three-game road trip in the final week of the month to Colorado, Vegas and Utah.
- Tuesday, November 3rd vs Winnipeg (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, November 5th vs Utah (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, November 7th @ Toronto (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, November 10th vs Minnesota (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, November 12th @ Boston (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, November 14th vs Colorado (7 pm ET)
- Monday, November 16th @ New York R (7:30 pm ET)
- Wednesday, November 18th @ New Jersey (7:30 pm ET)
- Thursday, November 19th @ Carolina (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, November 21st vs Philadelphia (7 pm ET)
- Monday, November 23rd vs Los Angeles (7:30 pm ET)
- Wednesday, November 25th @ Colorado (9:30 pm ET)
- Saturday, November 28th @ Vegas (4 pm ET)
- Monday, November 30th @ Utah (9:30 pm ET)
December
Montreal will begin the month of November with a five-game homestand which, as mentioned, is their longest of the 2026-27 season. Also as previously mentioned, their pre & post-Christmas road trip won't happen this season. Instead, the Canadiens will play a three-game road trip prior to Christmas before returning home to the Bell Centre for a Boxing Day clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Wednesday, December 2nd vs Tampa Bay (7:30 pm ET)
- Saturday, December 5th vs Florida (1 pm ET)
- Sunday, December 6th vs Ottawa (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, December 8th vs Vegas (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, December 10th vs Anaheim (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, December 12th @ Columbus (1 pm ET)
- Monday, December 14th vs Edmonton (7:30 pm ET)
- Friday, December 18th @ Buffalo (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, December 19th @ Minnesota (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, December 22nd @ Columbus (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, December 26th vs Toronto (7 pm ET)
- Sunday, December 27th vs Dallas (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, December 29th vs Columbus (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, December 31st @ Tampa Bay (2 pm ET)
January
Another 14-game slate is on tap for the Canadiens in the month of January. They'll begin 2027 in south Florida against the Panthers before returning home to the Bell Centre for a four-game homestand. January 28th will mark the Canadiens' last trip to the Saddledome in Calgary, the arena they won their penultimate Stanley Cup in.
- Saturday, January 2nd @ Florida (4 pm ET)
- Monday, January 4th vs Chicago (7:30 pm ET)
- Wednesday, January 6th vs Boston (7:30 pm ET)
- Saturday, January 9th vs Pittsburgh (7 pm ET)
- Wednesday, January 13th vs New Jersey (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, January 14th @ Nashville (8 pm ET)
- Saturday, January 16th @ Philadelphia (7 pm ET)
- Monday, January 18th @ Buffalo (1 pm ET)
- Tuesday, January 19th @ Washington (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, January 21st vs St. Louis (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, January 23rd vs Calgary (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, January 26th vs Carolina (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, January 28th @ Calgary (8 pm ET)
- Saturday, January 30th @ Edmonton (7 pm ET)
February
As is the case every February, whether it be due to the All-Star break, Olympics or another international event (4 Nations Face-Off, 2028 World Cup of Hockey), the Canadiens will have their least busy month of the season. Montreal will play nine games in February, including their Super Bowl back-to-back matinees on the 13th & 14th.
- Monday, February 1st @ Vancouver (8:30 pm ET)
- Wednesday, February 3rd @ Seattle (9:40 pm ET)
- Saturday, February 13th vs Washington (1 pm ET)
- Sunday, February 14th vs New York R (1 pm ET)
- Thursday, February 18th @ Detroit (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, February 20th vs New York I (7 pm ET)
- Monday, February 22nd @ Philadelphia (1 pm ET)
- Wednesday, February 24th @ Los Angeles (10 pm ET)
- Saturday, February 27th @ Anaheim (7 pm ET)
March
March has the potential to be an emotional month for the Montreal Canadiens and their fan base. On Saturday, March 6th, Brendan Gallagher will make his return to the Bell Centre, the arena he spent the first 14 seasons of his NHL career in. Gallagher was traded to the Vancouver Canucks a little over two weeks ago.
- Monday, March 1st @ San Jose (10 pm ET)
- Thursday, March 4th vs Seattle (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, March 6th vs Vancouver (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, March 9th @ New York I (7 pm ET)
- Wednesday, March 10th vs Boston (7:30 pm ET)
- Saturday, March 13th @ Ottawa (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, March 16th vs Florida (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, March 18th vs Tampa Bay (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, March 20th @ Detroit (1 pm ET)
- Monday, March 22nd vs Toronto (7:30 pm ET)
- Wednesday, March 24th vs Ottawa (7:30 pm ET)
- Saturday, March 27th vs New Jersey (7 pm ET)
- Sunday, March 28th vs Detroit (7 pm ET)
- Tuesday, March 30th @ Boston (7 pm ET)
April
That brings us to the final month of the 2026-27 season - April. Montreal will play their final regular season home game on April 1st against the New York Rangers before heading out on the road for four games to close out the campaign. Game 84 for Montreal is set for Saturday, April 10th in Ottawa.
- Thursday, April 1st vs New York R (7 pm ET)
- Sunday, April 4th @ New York I (7:30 pm ET)
- Tuesday, April 6th @ Florida (7 pm ET)
- Thursday, April 8th @ Tampa Bay (7 pm ET)
- Saturday, April 10th @ Ottawa (7 pm ET)
Anticipation is building for the 2026-27 season and we're only 75 days away from puck drop on Montreal's opening game of the campaign at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario.