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As another National Hockey League (NHL) season winds up across North America, fans everywhere are heading to their nearest barn to watch as hockey teams return to the ice to compete amongst the best.
After a busy offseason and the excitement of the 4 Nations Face-Off, this season promises to be even more exciting as the journey towards the Stanley Cup begins yet again.
This February, the 2026 Winter Olympics add an extra level of spice to the mix, further emphasizing the year of international play that began with the World Juniors in 2025.
After a few weeks of training camps and preseason games, the schedule opens up for the first night of the regular season on October 7, 2025.
From rising stars to established franchises, here’s a full preview of what to expect, key dates to add to your calendar, and the biggest storylines to watch for heading into the season.
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Here’s what to know.
First, the basics. If you’re REALLY new here, the NHL season consists of 82 games. Next season, the schedule will feature 84 games.
Each game is made up of three, 20-minute periods with intermissions in between. Overtime during the regular season consists of 3-on-3 hockey for five minutes or until the first team scores. After that, it moves to a shootout.
Teams get points based on winning during regulation time (2), overtime (1), and losing in overtime (1). They receive zero points for a loss during regulation time.
This season is special, however, due to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy and the allowance of NHL players’ participation. A break will take place in February to accommodate the additional schedule.
Once the regular season concludes in April, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will take place once again, progressing towards the finals where just one team will raise the cup after winning the best of seven series.
Rebranded at the conclusion of last season, the Utah Hockey Club will return to the ice as Utah Mammoth after the organization generated ideas with help from the local community.
The 2025-26 NHL regular season begins play on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 with three games:
The 2026 Winter Classic featuring Florida Panthers vs New York Rangers is scheduled for January 2, 2026 at LoanDepot Park in Miami, FL.
The 2026 Stadium Series game featuring Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins is scheduled for February 1, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.
The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. The defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the best-of-seven series 4-2.
The first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft was made by the New York Islanders, who picked Matthew Schaefer, an elite defenseman with expert puck movement skills.
Other Overall Top Picks In 2025
The 64th annual NHL Entry Draft is expected to be held in the summer of 2026. In 2025, it was held on June 27 and 28.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, known as Milano Cortina 2026, is scheduled to take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026.
Preliminary hockey rounds will begin on Thursday, February 5. Competition will continue throughout the week and conclude with the women’s gold medal match on Thursday, February 19. The men’s gold medal match will be played on Sunday, February 22 at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena.
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will take place at multiple sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy. Ice events will be hosted in Milan and other events to be hosted around Cortina and in the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys across Italy.
The joint-host were selected in 2019 and are the first Olympic Games to be co-hosted by multiple cities.
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