NHL Season Opens With Five Games and ESPN Tripleheader

The 2026-27 NHL season begins Tuesday with five games and an ESPN tripleheader that features the defending Stanley Cup champions, an Original Six matchup and the reigning Western Conference champions. This season also introduces an expanded 84-game schedule, up from 82 games. Opening night begins at 5 p.m. ET when Carolina raises its championship banner before facing Florida.

ESPN Opening Night Tripleheader

Hurricanes Raise the Banner

ESPN has nearly nine consecutive hours of NHL coverage planned, beginning with The Point at 4 p.m. ET. The three nationally televised games are:

• Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes — 5 p.m. ET, ESPN: The defending champion Hurricanes begin their title defense against a Florida team attempting to rebound after missing last year’s playoffs.
  • Key players: Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov for Carolina; Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk for Florida.
  • BetMGM lists Carolina -125, Florida +105, with a 6.5-goal total.
• New York Rangers at Boston Bruins — 8 p.m. ET, ESPN: An Original Six rivalry occupies the middle game.
  • Key players: Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox for New York, with David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy among Boston’s biggest names.
  • BetMGM has Boston -115 and New York -105, with the total at 6.
• Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights — 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN: Connor Bedard leads Chicago into Las Vegas against last season’s Western Conference champion.
  • Key players: Bedard for Chicago and Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner for Vegas.
  • BetMGM makes the Golden Knights a substantial -250 favorite, with Chicago +200 and the total at 6.

Other NHL Games Today

Canadian Rivalries Add Two More Matchups

Opening night also features two all-Canadian games outside ESPN’s U.S. tripleheader. Montreal visits Toronto at 7 p.m. ET, with Sportsnet carrying the game in Canada. BetMGM lists both teams at -110, making it essentially a pick’em. The matchup gives Montreal’s young core an immediate test against a revamped Toronto roster. At 10 p.m. ET, Vancouver visits Edmonton. The Oilers are one of opening night’s biggest favorites at -285, compared with Vancouver at +230. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain the central players to watch for an Edmonton team trying to return to the Stanley Cup conversation.

NHL Conference Betting Outlook

Stanley Cup Contenders Lead Futures Markets

Opening night also provides the first opportunity to see how preseason conference contenders look in meaningful games. Futures prices vary by sportsbook and can move throughout the season.

Eastern Conference Odds

Among the prominent teams in the Eastern Conference futures betting picture:

• Florida Panthers — +350 to win East
• Carolina Hurricanes — +400
• Tampa Bay Lightning — +600
• Washington Capitals — +850
• Montreal Canadiens — +1000

Western Conference Odds

The Western Conference features several teams with similarly short prices:

• Colorado Avalanche — +350 to win West
• Vegas Golden Knights — +400
• Edmonton Oilers — +450
• Minnesota Wild — +650
• Dallas Stars — +800

Those conference prices should be treated as approximate opening-week ranges because sportsbook futures markets differ and move frequently. The broader Stanley Cup market has Florida, Colorado, Carolina, Vegas and Edmonton clustered among the leading contenders entering the season.