The National Hockey League (NHL) teams’ clashes will take place on February 28 and March 1, 2026. As the 2025-26 NHL season reaches the middle stage of the regular season, each game has an important effect on shaping the standings. A complete schedule, including predictions and a match preview.
Regular Season Overview
The NHL shows fights between teams competing for the final champion. Initially, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens will claim to capture a top spot in the Atlantic Division. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins will aim to be the top position in the Metropolitan Division.
advertisement
Matchup Schedule
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 03:00 p.m. ET | 12:00 p.m. PT | 01:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 04:00 p.m. ET | 01:00 p.m. PT | 02:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: SAP Center in San Jose.
St. Louis Blues vs. New Jersey Devils
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 05:00 p.m. ET | 02:00 p.m. PT | 03:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 06:00 p.m. ET | 03:00 p.m. PT | 04:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Ball Arena in Denver.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 06:00 p.m. ET | 03:00 p.m. PT | 04:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Detroit Red Wings
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Centre Bell in Montreal.
Dallas Stars vs. Nashville Predators
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 08:00 p.m. ET | 05:00 p.m. PT | 06:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Seattle Kraken vs. Vancouver Canucks
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 09:00 p.m. ET | 07:00 p.m. PT | 08:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Date: March 1, 2026
Time: 01:00 p.m. ET 10:00 a.m. PT 11:30 p.m. IST
Venue: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Matches Preview
Let us talk about the key games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with detailed, in-depth information.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
Lightning Predicted Lineup
Jake Guentzel—Brayden Point—Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel—Dominic James—Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons—Yanni Gourde—Pontus Holmberg
Oliver Bjorkstrand—Scott Sabourin
J.J. Moser—Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh—Erik Cernak
Charles-Édouard D’Astous—Emil Lilleberg
Victor Hedman
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Curtis Douglas, Declan Carlile
Sabres Predicted Lineup
Peyton Krebs—Tage Thompson—Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker—Ryan McLeod—Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund—Josh Norris—Josh Doan
Josh Dunne—Tyson Kozak—Beck Malenstyn
Mattias Samuelsson—Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram—Owen Power
Jacob Bryson—Michael Kesselring
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
Scratched: Zach Metsa, Anton Wahlberg, Colten Ellis
Previous Rivalry
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost 5-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes in their most recent NHL game. Jake Guentzel recorded three assists for the Lightning. Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel each had a goal and an assist. They have performed better at home, with a strong record, and will have the upper hand in this game.
Conversely, the Buffalo Sabres defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1, with Peyton Krebs recording one assist. Tage Thompson and Bowen Byram each added an assist for the Sabres. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each recorded an assist for the Devils. The Buffalo Sabres are currently in 4th place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference with 72 points.
The Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Detroit Red Wings
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 07:00 p.m. ET | 04:00 p.m. PT | 05:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
Hurricanes Predicted Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov—Sebastian Aho—Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall—Logan Stankoven—Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers—Jordan Staal—Jordan Martinook
William Carrier—Jesperi Kotkaniemi—Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin—Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller—Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere — Alexander Nikishin
Brandon Bussi
Frederik Andersen
Scratched: Mark Jankowski, Mike Reilly
Red Wings Predicted Lineup
Marco Kasper—Dylan Larkin—Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat—Andrew Copp—Patrick Kane
Emmitt Finnie—J.T. Compher—Mason Appleton
Elmer Soderblom—Michael Rasmussen—James van Riemsdyk
Simon Edvinsson—Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot—Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Albert Johansson—Jacob Bernard-Docker
John Gibson
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Erik Gustafsson, Travis Hamonic
Previous Rivalry
The Carolina Hurricanes currently sit in 1st place in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference with 80 points. They have played 58 games, recording 37 wins, 15 losses, and six overtime losses. The Hurricanes have scored eight wins and two losses in their last ten games. Pyotr Kochetkov is out with a lower-body injury, and this team will be built on its recent home form to take a winning streak.
Similarly, the Detroit Red Wings have had solid performances in their recent status in the NHL. They have played 59 matches, posting a 34-19-6 record. They have a slightly weaker road record.
The Pick: Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 06:00 p.m. ET | 03:00 p.m. PT | 04:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)
Venue: Ball Arena in Denver.
Avalanche Predicted Lineup
Artturi Lehkonen—Nathan MacKinnon—Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog—Brock Nelson—Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton—Jack Drury—Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly—Zakhar Bardakov—Joel Kiviranta
Devon Toews—Cale Makar
Josh Manson—Brent Burns
Brett Kulak—Sam Malinski
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scratched: Gavin Brindley
Blackhawks Predicted Lineup
Ryan Greene—Connor Bedard—Andre Burakovsky
Oliver Moore—Frank Nazar—Tyler Bertuzzi
Ryan Donato—Jason Dickinson—Ilya Mikheyev
Teuvo Teravainen—Nick Foligno—Landon Slaggert
Alex Vlasic—Louis Crevier
Connor Murphy—Sam Rinzel
Matt Grzelcyk – Artyom Levshunov
Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
Scratched: Sam Lafferty, Colton Dach, Kevin Korchinski
Previous Rivalry
The Colorado Avalanche remained unbeaten against the Utah Mammoth with a 4-2 victory in their most recent NHL game. Martin Nečas and Parker Kelly each recorded a goal and an assist for the Avalanche. In their last ten games, they have earned a 4-5-1 record.
By contrast, the Chicago Blackhawks lost 4-2 to the Nashville Predators in their most recent match. Ryan Greene and Sam Rinzel each recorded an assist and one point for the Blackhawks. They have scored three wins and two losses in their last ten games.
The Pick: Colorado Avalanche
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Date: March 1, 2026
Time: 01:00 p.m. ET 10:00 a.m. PT 11:30 p.m. IST
Venue: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Penguins Predicted Lineup
Avery Hayes—Rickard Rakell—Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov—Tommy Novak—Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha—Ben Kindel—Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar—Blake Lizotte—Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon—Erik Karlsson
Samuel Girard—Kris Letang
Ryan Shea—Connor Clifton
Arturs Silovs
Stuart Skinner
Scratched: Kevin Hayes, Ilya Solovyov, Ryan Graves
Golden Knights projected lineup
Ivan Barbashev—Tomas Hertl—Keegan Kolesar
Reilly Smith—Tanner Laczynski—Pavel Dorofeyev
Brandon Saad—Colton Sissons—Alexander Holtz
Cole Reinhardt—Kai Uchacz—Braeden Bowman
Jeremy Lauzon—Rasmus Andersson
Brayden McNabb—Dylan Coghlan
Ben Hutton—Kaedan Korczak
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Shea Theodore, Mark Stone, Mitch Marner
Previous Rivalry
The Pittsburgh Penguins currently sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference with 72 points. They have played 57 games, recording 30 victories, 15 losses, and 12 overtime losses. The Penguins are currently on a two-game winning streak.
Likewise, the Vegas Golden Knights have been consistent, winning three consecutive games in the NHL. They have posted a 4-4-2 record in their last 10 games and are currently in 1st place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. But they have been weaker on the road this season.
The Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins
Closure
The NHL’s significant match, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights, is in a crucial top spot in their standings. As the NHL will move into the final phase, where teams will compete for the peak.