NHL preseason schedule: Dates, times, how to watch

• A 104-game preseason schedule will begin on Saturday, Sept. 20 and run through Saturday, Oct. 4.
• Retired goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will suit up one last time for the Penguins on Sept. 27.
• The NHL is cutting the number of preseason games in 2026-27 as the regular season expands.

NHL fans this weekend can see their first on-ice action since the Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions.

A 104-game NHL preseason schedule begins Saturday, Sept. 20 and runs through Saturday, Oct. 4.

Prospects get a chance to make their cases for sticking with their teams. Veterans can get in some game action while trying to avoid injuries as happened to Kings defenseman Drew Doughty last year.

There will also be a fond farewell.

Retired goalie Marc-Andre Fleury signed a professional tryout agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins so he can suit up one more time for the team with which he won three Stanley Cup titles. He’s scheduled to play part of the Sept. 27 home preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That game will be on NHL Network, as are about two dozen others during the preseason. TNT will also show one preseason game. (Sling TV carries TNT and certain packages carry NHL Network.)

Watch NHL games on Sling TV

This will be the last season with this many preseason games. Under the new collective-bargaining agreement that starts in 2026-27, teams will play two fewer preseason games apiece as the regular season expands to 84 games.

Here is the full preseason schedule, with dates, times and TV. The 2025-26 regular season starts on Oct. 7.

2025-26 NHL preseason schedule

All times Eastern

SATURDAY, SEPT. 20

• St. Louis at Dallas, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 21

• NY Rangers at New Jersey, 1 p.m., NHL Network
• Florida (split squad) at Nashville (split squad), 3 p.m.
• Toronto at Ottawa, 3 p.m.
• Colorado (split squad) vs. Utah (split squad), 4:30 p.m. (played in Denver at neutral-site Magness Arena)
• Minnesota at Winnipeg, 5 p.m., NHL Network
• St. Louis at Columbus, 5 p.m.
• Washington at Boston, 5 p.m.
• Anaheim vs. Los Angeles, at Ontario, California, 6 p.m.
• Florida (split squad) at Nashville (split squad), 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
• Calgary (split squad) at Edmonton (split squad), 8 p.m.
• Edmonton (split squad) at Calgary (split squad), 8 p.m.
• Vancouver at Seattle, 8 p.m.
• Vegas at San Jose, 8 p.m.
• Utah (split squad) at Colorado (split squad), 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 22

• Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7 p.m.
• Utah at Anaheim, 10 p.m., NHL Network

TUESDAY, SEPT. 23

• Boston at NY Rangers, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Chicago at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
• NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
• Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia at Montreal, 7 p.m.
• Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
• Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
• Seattle at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Los Angeles at Vegas, 10 p.m., NHL Network

Exclusive book: Relive the Panthers’ latest Cup

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24

• Florida at Carolina, 6 p.m., NHL Network
• Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Seattle at Edmonton, 9 p.m., NHL Network
• Calgary vs. Vancouver, at Abbotsford, British Columbia, 10 p.m.
• Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m., NHL Network

THURSDAY, SEPT. 25

• Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Philadelphia vs. Washington, at Hershey, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m.
• Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m.
• Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m., NHL Network

FRIDAY, SEPT. 26

• Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
• Winnipeg at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
• Seattle at Vancouver, 10 p.m., NHL Network
• Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 27

• Detroit at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
• Boston at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
• Anaheim vs. Los Angeles, at Bakersfield, California, 6 p.m.
• Chicago at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
• Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Dallas at Colorado, 7 p.m.
• Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Nashville at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
• Calgary at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 28

• New Jersey (split squad) vs. Ottawa, at Quebec City, Quebec, 3 p.m.
• Washington at New Jersey (split squad), 3 p.m., NHL Network
• Chicago at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
• Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m.
• Vancouver at Edmonton, 8 p.m., NHL Network

MONDAY, SEPT. 29

• Carolina at Florida, 6 p.m.
• NY Rangers at NY Islanders, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• Calgary at Seattle, 10 p.m., NHL Network
• San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 30

• Florida vs. Tampa Bay, at Orlando, Florida, 7 p.m.
• Montreal vs. Ottawa, at Quebec City, Quebec, 7 p.m.
• Washington at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m.
• Vegas at Colorado, 8 p.m., TNT
• Winnipeg at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
• Los Angeles vs. Utah, at Boise, Idaho, 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1

• Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
• Colorado at Vegas, 9 p.m., NHL Network
• Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
• Edmonton at Seattle, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 2

• Boston at Washington, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
• New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
• NY Islanders at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Ottawa at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
• Los Angeles at Utah, 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 3

• Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., NHL Network
• Minnesota at Chicago, 8 p.m.
• Winnipeg at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m., NHL Network
• San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 4

• NY Rangers at Boston, 2 p.m., NHL Network
• New Jersey at Philadelphia, 3 p.m.
• Anaheim at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
• Carolina at Nashville, 4 p.m.
• Colorado at Dallas, 6 p.m., NHL Network
• Columbus at Washington, 7 p.m.
• Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.
• St. Louis at Chicago, 7 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Florida, 7 p.m.
• Toronto at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• San Jose at Utah, 9 p.m., NHL Network