The NHL season is broken up into the preseason, the regular season, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Prior to the start of the NHL regular season, the preseason consists of training camp and preseason games. Teams play between six and eight exhibition games over the span of two weeks. During this time, the players and coaches prepare for the regular season.
The preseason usually begins towards the end of September and runs through the beginning of October. The regular season typically begins in early October and lasts through the middle of April. The Stanley Cup Playoffs follow the regular season and typically run from the middle of April through the middle of June.
How many games are in the NHL regular season?
An NHL regular season has 82 games. All 32 teams play 41 home games and 41 away games. All teams play 26 divisional games, 24 intra-conference games, and 32 inter-conference games. Between all of the teams’ schedules, there are a total of 1,312 games played in a regular season.
The NHL started playing 82 games per regular season in 1995-96. There were reports in 2022 that the NHL was considering shifting to 84 games in a regular season to create more matchups between regional rivals. This change would require approval from the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
Each team has a midseason bye week. This break allows time for rest and recovery. The timing of each team’s break in action varies, but they all overlap with the All-Star Weekend. In 2022-23, this pause took place near the end of January through the beginning of February. Bye weeks were implemented in the 2016-2017 season. There were no bye weeks during 2020-2021 and 2021-22 seasons due to scheduling construction amidst COVID-19.
After the conclusion of the regular season, 16 teams participate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The current format of the playoffs includes the three top teams in each division and two wild cards per conference, totaling eight teams from both conferences. There are four rounds in the playoffs consisting of best-of-seven series. The playoffs conclude with the Stanley Cup Final. A team needs 16 wins to earn the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup Final is the conclusion of the NHL season.