What Stands Out in Nashville's 2026-27 NHL Regular Season Schedule?

The Predators are 77 days away from kicking off the new season against the Minnesota Wild.

Jan 30, 2018; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros (74) during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NHL built anticipation for the 2026-27 season on Thursday by announcing its 84-game regular-season schedule. The Nashville Predators have dates and times for the franchise's 29th season, starting on Thursday, Oct. 1, with a home matchup against the Minnesota Wild.

What Stands Out About Nashville's 2026-27 Regular Season Schedule (All Times Central)

Challenging Months of October and November

The Predators opened the 2025-26 season with a 4-6-2 month of October and were 7-12-4 by the time Thanksgiving arrived, putting Nashville behind the eight ball in the Central Division standings. Nashville must get the new season off to a better start, but the NHL did them no favors as 13 of the Predators' 14 opponents in the opening month finished higher in the standings, with nine matchups featuring playoff teams from a season ago.

November doesn't get easier as it opens against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, and 10 of the Predators' 14 opponents made the NHL playoffs. The Predators overhauled their roster in the offseason under new general manager Chris MacFarland, but the schedule might dictate a difficult start for Nashville.

Back-to-Backs

The Predators have 11 back-to-backs on the 2026-27 schedule, with six coming as a pair of road games and the other five as a home-road split.

• Oct. 24 - at Pittsburgh Penguins & Oct. 25 - vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Nov. 10 - at Los Angeles Kings & Nov. 11 - at Anaheim Ducks
• Nov. 27 - vs. Utah Mammoth & Nov. 28 - at Detroit Red Wings
• Dec. 5 - vs. Columbus Blue Jackets & Dec. 6 - at St. Louis Blues
• Dec. 28 - at Florida Panthers & Dec. 29 - at Tampa Bay Lightning
• Jan. 1 - vs. Florida Panthers & Jan. 2 - at Carolina Hurricanes
• Jan. 9 - at Minnesota Wild & Jan. 10 - at Colorado Avalanche
• Jan. 20 - vs. Vancouver Canucks & Jan. 21 - at Philadelphia Flyers
• Jan. 30 - at Anaheim Ducks & Jan. 31 - at Utah Mammoth
• Feb. 20 - at Columbus Blue Jackets & Feb. 21 - at Washington Capitals
• March 26 - at Chicago Blackhawks & March 27 - at Dallas Stars

Afternoon Games

The Predators have 18 games starting at or before 5 p.m. CT this season, with 13 coming inside Bridgestone Arena.

• Saturday, Oct. 31 - vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - 1 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 7 - vs. St. Louis Blues - 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 21 - vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - 5 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 27 - vs. Utah Mammoth - 12 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 30 - vs. Ottawa Senators - 12 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 5 - vs. Columbus Blue Jackets - 1 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 6 - at St. Louis Blues - 4 p.m.
• Friday, Jan. 1 - vs. Florida Panthers - 1 p.m.
• Monday, Jan. 18 - at New York Islanders - 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, Jan. 20 - vs. Vancouver Canucks - 1 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 23 - vs. Los Angeles Kings - 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 13 - vs. Anaheim Ducks - 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 20 - at Columbus Blue Jackets - 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 21 - at Washington Capitals - 5 p.m.
• Saturday, March 13 - at Winnipeg Jets - 2:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 20 - vs. Boston Bruins - 4 p.m.
• Saturday, April 3 - vs. Calgary Flames - 2:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 10 - vs. Dallas Stars - 5 p.m.

Holidays

Nashville plays a handful of games around holidays this season with the most obvious conflict coming on New Year's Day.

• Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31 vs. Tampa Bay Lightningt - 1 p.m.
• Black Friday, Nov. 27 vs. Utah Mammoth - 12 p.m.
• Day after Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 26 vs. Detroit Red Wings - 6 p.m.
• New Year's Day, Friday, Jan. 1 vs. Florida Panthers - 1 p.m.
• Valentine's Weekend, Saturday, Feb. 13 vs. Anaheim Ducks - 12:30 p.m.

Frozen Frenzy and Regular Season Finale

The Frozen Frenzy returns on Tuesday, Oct. 13, when all 32 NHL teams will be in action on the ESPN family of networks. Each game will have a staggered start time, enabling viewers to check out portions of each matchup. The Nashville Predators will host the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:45 p.m.

The regular season finale, on April 10, will feature slightly staggered start times as the season comes to a close. The Predators have a home game against the Dallas Stars in the final game of the regular season.

Longest Home Stand

The Predators have their longest home stand of the season starting on Feb. 23 and concluding on March 6, during which they'll take on the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Utah Mammoth, and Minnesota Wild over a 12-day period.

Nashville hosts a five-game home stand from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, when they'll host the Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes.

Longest Road Trip

The Predators have two five-game road trips this season. The first starting on Nov. 10 and ending on Nov. 17, where they'll travel to Los Angeles, Anaheim, Vegas, San Jose, and Minnesota, and the second coming from March 9-17, where they'll travel to St. Louis, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver.

No International

Nashville wasn't chosen for the Winter Classic or to participate in the 2026 NHL Global Series.

Rivals (Blackhawks, Red Wings, Ducks, Stars, Jets)

• Chicago Blackhawks: Home (December 3, April 1), Away (March 26, April 8)
• Detroit Red Wings: Home (December 26), Away (November 28)
• Anaheim Ducks: Home (February 13), Away (November 11, January 30)
• Dallas Stars: Home (October. 3, April 10), Away (November 25, March 27)
• Winnipeg Jets: Home (December 22, February 23), Away (January 7, March 13)

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