NHL opening night in Canada is Tuesday, September 29, and it is an all-Canadian doubleheader on Sportsnet: the Canadiens visit the Maple Leafs at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT), then the Canucks visit the Oilers at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT). Both games also stream on Sportsnet+. It is the first night of the 84-game season and the first under Rogers’ new 12-year national rights deal. That also means there is no Hockey Night in Canada on CBC this year.
Below is where to watch every opening-night game and who is missing for the Canadian teams. After that come the first week of the new TV deal and every Canadian home opener.
How to watch NHL opening night 2026 in Canada
Five games make up the opening-night schedule, with times taken from the NHL’s official schedule. The two Canadian games are national broadcasts on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
| Game | ET | PT | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers at Hurricanes | 5:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | No Canadian broadcast listed (ESPN in the U.S.) |
| Canadiens at Maple Leafs | 7:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | Sportsnet, Sportsnet+; TVA Sports (French) |
| Rangers at Bruins | 8:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | No Canadian broadcast listed (ESPN in the U.S.) |
| Canucks at Oilers | 10:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ |
| Blackhawks at Golden Knights | 10:30 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | TVA Sports 2 (French); ESPN in the U.S. |
In French, Canadiens at Maple Leafs is on TVA Sports and Blackhawks at Golden Knights is on TVA Sports 2. The other two games are part of ESPN’s U.S. tripleheader, so they have no Canadian broadcast listed on the NHL’s schedule.
The Canadian angle on NHL opening night
The two Canadian games pair clubs that finished at opposite ends of last season’s table. Montréal were sixth in the league on 106 points, while Toronto were 28th on 78. Toronto have reshaped since then: Gavin McKenna, this year’s No. 1 pick, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky are both in camp. Out west, Edmonton finished 14th on 93 points and Vancouver last on 58. Our NHL power rankings have where all 32 teams stand going in.
NHL opening night rosters: who is out for the Canadian teams
Teams must file cap-compliant rosters of up to 23 players by 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, September 28, the day before the season opener. As of September 24, these are the notable absences for the Canadian clubs:
| Team | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Canucks | Thatcher Demko (G) | Recovering from hip surgery in January, with no timeline. Kevin Lankinen, Nikita Tolopilo and Chris Driedger (on a tryout) are the other options in goal |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Max Domi (F) | Out indefinitely after complications from off-season back surgery. Dakota Joshua (abdomen) is doubtful for opening night |
| Montréal Canadiens | Kaiden Guhle (D) | Out four to five weeks after adductor surgery, announced September 16 |
| Calgary Flames | Jonathan Huberdeau (F) | Starts the season on injured reserve after hip surgery in the spring |
| Ottawa Senators | Artem Zub (D) | Knee injury, out since April |
| Winnipeg Jets | Connor Hellebuyck (G) | Suspended by the Jets after he did not report to training camp, following his trade request |
| Edmonton Oilers | Mattias Janmark (F) | On injured reserve |
Rosters and lineups can change right up to puck drop, so check our NHL injury report before the game. It tracks every team and updates as clubs set their opening-night lineups.
The first week of the new TV deal
Opening week is also the first week of the new national schedule. Each of the three regular windows debuts within six days:
- Wednesday, September 30: Prime Video’s Wednesday Night Hockey starts. Islanders at Maple Leafs, coverage from 7:00 p.m. ET and puck drop at 7:30 p.m. ET. Prime streams 27 Wednesday games this season in English and French, included with a Prime membership.
- Saturday, October 3: Saturday Night Hockey debuts on Sportsnet. It replaces Hockey Night in Canada. Ron MacLean hosts, with Elliotte Friedman, Kevin Bieksa and Colby Armstrong on the panel. Every week is a doubleheader with at least one Canadian team in each game.
- Monday, October 5: Monday Night Hockey returns, now streaming only on Sportsnet+. TV subscribers can add it for $12.99 a month.
The first Saturday Night Hockey doubleheader is Senators at Maple Leafs at 7:00 p.m. ET, then Flames at Canucks at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT). Both are on Sportsnet, and Flames at Canucks is also on TVA Sports 2 in French. Two more Canadian teams play that night on regional channels: Canadiens at Penguins on Sportsnet East and TVA Sports (7:00 p.m. ET), and Kraken at Oilers on Sportsnet West (7:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. MT).
Every Canadian team’s 2026 home opener
Montréal and Ottawa start on the road, so their home openers come in the second week.
| Team | Home opener | Opponent | Local time | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Tuesday, September 29 | Montréal Canadiens | 7:00 p.m. ET | Sportsnet, Sportsnet+; TVA Sports (French) |
| Edmonton Oilers | Tuesday, September 29 | Vancouver Canucks | 8:00 p.m. MT | Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ |
| Calgary Flames | Thursday, October 1 | Seattle Kraken | 7:00 p.m. MT | Sportsnet West |
| Vancouver Canucks | Thursday, October 1 | Edmonton Oilers | 7:00 p.m. PT | Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet ONE |
| Winnipeg Jets | Friday, October 2 | Boston Bruins | 7:00 p.m. CT | Regional (TSN3 carries most Jets games) |
| Montréal Canadiens | Tuesday, October 6 | Carolina Hurricanes | 7:00 p.m. ET | Regional (TSN2 in English, RDS in French) |
| Ottawa Senators | Thursday, October 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | 7:00 p.m. ET | Regional (TSN5 in English, RDS in French) |
The Jets, Canadiens and Senators home openers are not on any national schedule. Instead, they fall to the teams’ regional broadcasters. TSN keeps regional rights for the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Jets and Senators, but it has not yet published its game-by-game regional schedule for the season. Meanwhile, Sportsnet says 150 games that used to be blacked out regionally now air nationally.
Winnipeg also host Montréal outdoors on October 25 at the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.
What else is new this season
- No NHL on CBC. CBC did not renew its sublicence with Sportsnet, which ends the Hockey Night in Canada brand for NHL games. Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi, which ran for 18 years, has been cancelled as well.
- More national games. Sportsnet will air more than 550 games nationally, 35% more than last season.
- French coverage on TVA Sports. Up to 350 games a season, including 32 Canadiens regular-season games and every Canadiens playoff game.
- An 84-game season. Each team plays two more games than last year, and the regular season runs to April 10.
For the season beyond opening week, start at our NHL hub. You can also see where the seven Canadian teams sit in the Stanley Cup odds.
FAQs
NHL opening night is Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Five games are scheduled, starting with Panthers at Hurricanes at 5:00 p.m. ET and finishing with Blackhawks at Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m. ET.
On opening night, Canadiens at Maple Leafs is on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7:00 p.m. ET, and on TVA Sports in French. The Leafs’ second game, against the Islanders on Wednesday, September 30, streams on Prime Video.
The Maple Leafs open the season at home against the Canadiens on Tuesday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET, at Scotiabank Arena.
Every team must submit a cap-compliant roster of up to 23 players by 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, September 28, the day before opening night.
No. CBC did not renew its sublicence with Sportsnet, so there are no NHL games on CBC in 2026-27. Sportsnet’s Saturday Night Hockey takes over the Saturday slot from October 3.
No. Prime Video now has Wednesday Night Hockey. Monday Night Hockey returns on October 5 and streams only on Sportsnet+.