The 2026-27 NHL schedule has been released, with all 1,344 games now public knowledge. Every team will play 84 games this season, up from 82 to accommodate recent expansion.
Odds are starting to trickle out for season openers, and I've assembled my favorite early NHL picks below.
See why my NHL season opener predictions are taking the Rangers to beat the Bruins on Tuesday, September 29.
Bets to make following NHL schedule release 2026-27
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Panthers moneyline
Canadiens moneyline
Rangers moneyline
Panthers moneyline
The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes will commence the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, September 29 against the next-most recent Stanley Cup winner, the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers know from first-hand experience how tough it can be to defend a title. They did it successfully in 2024-25, but 2025-26 was a disaster as they missed the playoffs altogether.
Injuries did a number on Florida, with captain Aleksander Barkov missing the entire campaign after suffering an injury in the preseason. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is now with the Maple Leafs, fell off a cliff in his age-37 season, posting the lowest SV% of his career (.877).
But the Panthers re-tooled this summer, bringing in Brady Tkachuk as well as Radko Gudkas. Newly-acquired netminders Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid form as good a one-two punch in net as any team.
I'm happy to back Florida at +100 or better as they attempt to kick off what should be a bounce-back campaign in style.
- Time: 5 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
Canadiens moneyline
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have had the "louder" offseason compared to the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens', but that doesn't mean it was the better one.
New netminder Bobrovsky looked over the hill last year, yet his three-year contract might age better than the seven-year one dished out to defenseman Darren Raddysh, who rose from obscurity to post 22 goals for the Lightning last year at age 30.
Toronto overhauled their forward depth, but the biggest impact player of the bunch was the one-dimensional Jack Roslovic.
Montreal hasn't bought in any big new names this summer, but they didn't really need to after making the Eastern Conference Final last season. This is still a team loaded with young talent that I'll happily back to -125.
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: SN
Rangers moneyline
The New York Rangers had a 100th season to forget last year, as they shipped Artemi Panarin to the Kings at the trade deadline and finished last in the Eastern Conference. However, they've made some interesting offseason moves, and they could pay immediate dividends vs. a Boston Bruins team that has more-or-less stood pat this summer.
New York's biggest acquisition was Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored a career-high 37 goals in 2025-26. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno have also climbed aboard to provide some much-needed offensive depth, and Gabe Perreault stands to benefit from a full year of seasoning.
The Rangers' strong top-line defensive pairing of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov will now be backed up by well-respected puck-moving defenseman Sean Durzi, and the stay-at-home Marcus Pettersson.
World-class goalie Igor Shesterkin should be between the pipes on Opening Night, and he gives his team a chance to win every time he suits up.
The Bruins' big offseason acquisition was JJ Peterka, who will be playing for his third team in as many seasons, and he scored 25 goals last season. But Viktor Arvidsson, a 25-goal scorer in 2025-26, has left Boston for Detroit.
Play to -110.
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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