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    Explainer

    How the NHL season works: 84 games, points and the playoffs

    Each of the NHL's 32 teams plays 84 regular-season games in 2026-27, up from 82. Teams earn two points for a win and one for an overtime or shootout loss.[1][2][3] Sixteen teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs: the top three in each division plus two wild cards per conference. They then play four best-of-seven rounds.[4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated ExplainerSports

    The NHL season has two parts. A long regular season decides who qualifies, and then the Stanley Cup Playoffs decide the champion. The 2026-27 season started on 29 September 2026 and is the first with 84 games per team.[1] Early results are on the 2026-27 season tracker.

    The regular season

    All 32 teams play 84 games between 29 September 2026 and 10 April 2027.[2][1] The extra two games per team come from a new labor agreement that took effect in September 2026.[5]

    The 2026-27 schedule has 1,344 games and ends on 10 April 2027, when all 32 teams play.[1] Preseason was cut from six games to four, and the season started at its earliest date since 2007.[6] The schedule also includes games in Finland and Germany, three outdoor games and the return of the All-Star Game.[7]

    How points work

    Teams are ranked by points, not just wins. A win earns two points. Losing in overtime or a shootout still earns one point, and losing in regulation earns none.[3]

    A tied regular-season game goes to a five-minute overtime and then a shootout.[8] Because the loser of an overtime or shootout still earns a point, those games put three points into the standings instead of two.[3] Records are written as wins-losses-overtime losses. For example, the Oilers’ 4-0-1 start on 10 October 2026 was worth nine points.[9]

    Who makes the playoffs

    Sixteen of the 32 teams qualify. The top three teams in each division get in automatically, and each conference adds two wild cards.[4][10]

    The wild cards are the next two best teams in each conference, regardless of division, so one division can send five teams and the other three.[10] The division winner with the better record plays the lower wild card, and the other division winner plays the higher wild card. The second- and third-place teams in each division play each other.[11]

    The Stanley Cup Playoffs

    Every round is best-of-seven: the first team to win four games advances.[4] In the first two rounds, home ice goes to the team that placed higher in the standings. In the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, it goes to the team with the better regular-season record.[12] In 2026-27 the Stanley Cup Final airs exclusively on TNT in the US and Sportsnet in Canada.[13]

    The reigning champions are the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the 2026 Stanley Cup.[14]

    How it compares with baseball

    The NHL playoffs take 16 of 32 teams, and every round is best-of-seven.[4] MLB’s postseason takes 12 of 30 teams and starts with shorter best-of-three and best-of-five rounds.[15][16][17][18] See How the MLB postseason works.

    Next in the crash course

    Questions readers ask

    How many games are in the 2026-27 NHL season?

    Each team plays 84 games, 1,344 in total, from 29 September 2026 to 10 April 2027.[1]

    How do NHL points work?

    A win is worth two points and an overtime or shootout loss one point. A regulation loss is worth nothing.[3]

    What happens if an NHL game is tied?

    In the regular season it goes to a five-minute overtime and then, if still tied, a shootout.[8]

    How many teams make the NHL playoffs?

    Sixteen - the top three in each division plus the next two best teams in each conference as wild cards.[4][10]

    Are NHL playoff series best-of-seven?

    Yes. All four rounds are best-of-seven, and the first team to win four games advances.[4]

    Who gets home ice in the playoffs?

    In the first two rounds, the team that placed higher in the standings. In the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, the team with the better regular-season record.[12]

    Sources

    · 18 claims from 6 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      The 2026-27 NHL regular season has 1,344 games, 84 per team (up from 82), starting on 29 September 2026 and ending on 10 April 2027. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    2. [2]

      The NHL has 32 teams. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    3. [3]

      In NHL standings a win is worth two points, an overtime or shootout loss one point, and a regulation loss none. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    4. [4]

      Sixteen teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs - the top three in each division plus two wild cards per conference - and all four rounds are best-of-seven. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    5. [5]

      A new NHL collective bargaining agreement took effect on 16 September 2026 and runs to 15 September 2030; it expanded the regular season and shortened maximum contract length. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    6. [6]

      For 2026-27 the NHL cut preseason games from six to four per team, and the season started at its earliest date since 2007. reportedas of 2026-09-18

    7. [7]

      The 2026-27 NHL schedule includes two games in Finland in November, two in Germany in December, three outdoor games and the first All-Star Game since 2024. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    8. [8]

      Tied NHL regular-season games go to a five-minute overtime and then, if still tied, a shootout. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    9. [9]

      As of 10 October 2026 the Edmonton Oilers were 4-0-1 after a 3-1 win at San Jose, with Connor McDavid on a five-game season-opening point streak. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    10. [10]

      The four NHL wild-card spots go to the next two best teams in each conference regardless of division, so one division can send five teams and the other three. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    11. [11]

      In each conference the division winner with the better record plays the lower-ranked wild card, the other division winner plays the higher-ranked wild card, and the second- and third-place teams in each division meet. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    12. [12]

      Home ice in the first two NHL playoff rounds goes to the higher-placed team; in the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final it goes to the team with the better regular-season record. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    13. [13]

      The NHL's national broadcast partners for 2026-27 are The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC) and TNT Sports (TNT/HBO Max) in the US and Sportsnet in Canada; the Stanley Cup Final airs exclusively on TNT in the US and Sportsnet in Canada. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    14. [14]

      The Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup and raised their championship banner before their 2026-27 opener. confirmedas of 2026-09-29

    15. [15]

      MLB's proposal would also centralise local media revenue equally among the 30 teams, share it 50-50 with players and replace the current revenue-sharing plan. reportedas of 2026-05-28

    16. [16]

      The MLB postseason has 12 teams, six from each league - the three division winners and three Wild Card teams in each league. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    17. [17]

      In the best-of-three Wild Card Series, the No. 3 seed plays the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed plays the No. 5 seed, with every game at the higher seed's park. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    18. [18]

      The Division Series is best-of-five in a 2-2-1 format with home-field advantage to the higher seed; the No. 1 seed plays the winner of the 4-5 Wild Card Series and the No. 2 seed plays the winner of the 3-6 series. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Apr 11, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "How the NHL season works: 84 games, points and the playoffs." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/explain/how-nhl-season-works

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