NHL season to open Sept. 29 with two all-Canadian matchups

The 202627 NHL season will begin on Sept. 29 with two games featuring Canadian teams. The Montreal Canadiens will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Edmonton Oilers will host the Vancouver Canucks later that night. The league said the schedule will include 84 regularseason games for each team, up from 82, marking the first time since 199394 that the NHL has used an 84game format. The full schedule is set to be released on Thursday. Other Canadian home openers include the Calgary Flames against Seattle on Oct. 1, the Winnipeg Jets against Boston on Oct. 2, the Canadiens against Carolina on Oct. 6, and the Ottawa Senators against Philadelphia on Oct. 8. Winnipeg will also host Montreal in the Heritage Classic on Oct. 25. The Carolina Hurricanes will raise their Stanley Cup banner on opening night before facing the Florida Panthers. The league also outlined several other marquee events, including the Global Series in Finland, games in Germany, the Winter Classic at the University of Utah, and an outdoor matchup at AT&T Stadium in February.