NHL Announces 2017-18 Season Schedule

Banner-Raising Ceremony in Pittsburgh, Inaugural Season for Vegas Golden Knights, Two Games in Stockholm, Three Outdoor Games and All-Star Weekend in Tampa Among 2017-18 Highlights

The NHL’s 2017-18 regular season will commence Wednesday, Oct. 4, with a four-game slate, highlighted by the Pittsburgh Penguins raising their fifth Stanley Cup championship banner before facing the St. Louis Blues at PPG Paints Arena. The 1,271-game regular-season schedule – 82 games per team – will conclude Saturday, April 7, 2018.

After closing Joe Louis Arena last season, the Detroit Red Wings will open their new home, Little Caesar’s Arena, on Thursday, Oct. 5 against the Minnesota Wild.

The NHL’s 31st franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, will play its first regular-season game on Friday, Oct. 6 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. The Golden Knights will play their first home game on Tuesday, Oct. 10 when they play host to the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.

The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators will face off in a pair of regular-season games in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11 at Ericsson Globe in the 2017 SAP NHL Global SeriesTM, marking the sixth time the NHL has traveled to Europe to play regular-season games and the first such time since the 2011 Compuware NHL PremiereTM.

On New Year’s Day, the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will feature the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers outdoors at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. This year’s edition will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic®, which continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year.

The League’s regular-season schedule will pause from Jan. 26-29 so the world’s top players can gather in Tampa for the 2018 NHL All-Star weekend at Amalie Arena, which will include the NHL All-Star Skills CompetitionTM and the NHL All-Star Game. The 2018 NHL All-Star returns to a 3-on-3 tournament format after successful games in Nashville (2016) and Los Angeles (2017). Under the tournament rules, the NHL All-Star Game will be divided into three 20-minute games, with star players from each NHL division making up the four All- Star teams: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Metropolitan.

On Saturday, March 3, the Washington Capitals will play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs outdoors at the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium SeriesTM at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Over the next several years, the League plans to stage a series of outdoor games at the venues of the other respective U.S. Service Academies.

The other three games on the first night of the 2017-18 season include the Toronto Maple Leafs visiting the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place; the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Calgary Flames in a Battle of Alberta at Rogers Place; and the San Jose Sharks playing host to the Philadelphia Flyers at SAP Center.

On Saturday, Dec. 16, the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic will feature the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens outdoors at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. The game will pay tribute to a century of NHL® contests, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the League’s first games played on Dec. 19, 1917. The game falls within the League’s year-long NHL® Centennial festivities, Canada’s celebrations of 150 years of Confederation, and the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup®.

The 2017-18 regular season will conclude Saturday, April 7, when 30 of the League’s 31 teams take to the ice.

Scheduling Matrix

The scheduling matrix ensures that all 31 teams play in all 31 arenas at least once each season:
The following notes show the opponents by team (totaling 41 home / 41 away per team), based on each team’s respective division and conference.

Eastern Conference (Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions – 8 Teams each)

Each Division has 8 teams

Within Division

7 teams x 2 home / 2 away (Subtotal 14 home / 14 away)

Within Conference (Non-Division)

4 teams x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 8 home / 4 away)
4 teams x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 4 home / 8 away) Non-Conference
15 teams x 1 home / 1 away (Subtotal 15 home / 15 away) Grand Total 41 home / 41 away

Western Conference (Central Division – 7 teams)

Within Division

4 teams x 2 home / 2 away (Subtotal 8 home / 8 away) 1 team x 3 home / 2 away (Subtotal 3 home / 2 away) 1 team x 2 home / 3 away (Subtotal 2 away / 3 home) Within Conference (Non-Division)

4 teams x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 8 home / 4 away)
4 teams x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 4 home / 8 away) Non-Conference
16 teams x 1 home / 1 away (Subtotal 16 home / 16 away) Grand Total 41 home / 41 away

Western Conference (Pacific Division – 8 teams)

  1. 4 of the 8 teams in Pacific Division

Within Division

6 teams x 2 home / 2 away (Subtotal 12 home / 12 away) 1 team x 3 home / 2 away (Subtotal 3 home / 2 away) Within Conference (Non-Division)
3 teams x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 6 home / 3 away)

4 teams x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 4 home / 8 away)

Non-Conference

16 teams x 1 home / 1 away (Subtotal 16 home / 16 away) Grand Total 41 home / 41 away

  1. 4 of the 8 teams in Pacific Division

Within Division

6 teams x 2 home / 2 away (Subtotal 12 home / 12 away) 1 team x 2 home / 3 away (Subtotal 2 home / 3 away) Within Conference (Non-Division)
4 teams x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 8 home / 4 away)

3 teams x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 3 home / 6 away)

Non-Conference

16 teams x 1 home / 1 away (Subtotal 16 home / 16 away)

Grand Total 41 home / 41 away

Schedule Notes

Regular Season Opens: Wednesday, Oct. 4
 Christmas Break: Sunday, Dec. 24 – Tuesday, Dec. 26 All-Star Break: Friday, Jan. 26 – Monday, Jan. 29
 Last Day of Regular Season: Saturday, April 7