The 2026-27 NHL preseason began on September 19, along with returning vital players and newcomers. Evan Bouchard recorded four assists for the Edmonton Oilers, placing him among the preseason assist leaders. Anton Johansson also earned four assists for the Detroit Red Wings. Bradly Nadeau placed among the Carolina Hurricanes’ leaders in shots on goal. Cayden Primeau ranked among the Carolina Hurricanes’ leaders in save percentage.
NHL Preseason: Key Performances and Results
The opening game was between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs. The St. Louis Blues lost to the Dallas Stars in their most recent game. The Edmonton Oilers earned a 5-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets in their preseason game.
In their NHL preseason game, the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Los Angeles Kings. The Seattle Kraken earned a 4-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks. The New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Islanders in their most recent game. The Anaheim Ducks claimed a win over the San Jose Sharks, while the Boston Bruins defeated the Washington Capitals. In another matchup, the Tampa Bay Lightning earned a victory over the Nashville Predators. The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in their NHL game. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Utah Mammoth, and the Calgary Flames lost to the Seattle Kraken.
The Washington Capitals secured a win over the Philadelphia Flyers in their previous game. The New Jersey Devils claimed a victory against the New York Rangers.
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-3, in their last game. The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1, in their previous game. In another matchup, the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-1. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Florida Panthers in their most recent game. The Hurricanes started a winning streak in the preseason. The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks in their latest game.
Upcoming Game Schedules: Dates and Venues
Fixtures
Dates
Time Zone (Eastern Time)
Time Zone (Pacific Time)
Time Zone (Indian Standard Time)
Locations
Nashville Predators vs Carolina Hurricanes
September 26, 2027
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins
September 26, 2027
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
KeyBank Center, Buffalo
Los Angeles Kings vs Anaheim Ducks
September 26, 2027
04:00 PM
01:00 PM
01:30 AM (Next Day)
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
Utah Mammoth vs Colorado Avalanche
September 26, 2027
05:00 PM
02:00 PM
02:30 AM (Next Day)
Delta Center, Salt Lake City
Philadelphia Flyers vs Washington Capitals
September 26, 2027
05:00 PM
02:00 PM
02:30 AM (Next Day)
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning
September 26, 2027
06:00 PM
03:00 PM
03:30 AM (Next Day)
Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
Detroit Red Wings vs Columbus Blue Jackets
September 26, 2027
07:00 PM
04:00 PM
04:30 AM (Next Day)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues
September 26, 2027
07:00 PM
04:00 PM
04:30 AM (Next Day)
United Center, Chicago
Vancouver Canucks vs Seattle Kraken
September 26, 2027
07:00 PM
04:00 PM
04:30 AM (Next Day)
Rogers Arena, Vancouver
Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators
September 26, 2027
07:00 PM
04:00 PM
04:30 AM (Next Day)
Centre Bell, Montreal
New York Islanders vs New Jersey Devils
September 26, 2027
07:30 PM
04:30 PM
05:00 AM (Next Day)
UBS Arena, Elmont
Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames
September 26, 2027
09:00 PM
06:00 PM
06:30 AM (Next Day)
Rogers Place, Edmonton
Vegas Golden Knights vs San Jose Sharks
September 26, 2027
10:00 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 AM (Next Day)
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Valley
Pivotal Teams
Nashville Predators vs Carolina Hurricanes
Date: September 26, 2027 (Saturday)
Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT| 12:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville.
Possible Lineups for Nashville Predators
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen
Defensemen
Brady Skjei, Nicolas Hague, Ryan Ufko, Roman Josi, Adam Wilsby, and Ilya Lyubushkin
Forwards
Steven Stamkos, Filip Forsberg, Ross Colton, Alex Kerfoot, Ryan O’Reilly, Matthew Wood, Mavrik Bourque, Jack Drury, Jonathan Marchessault, Nils Hoglander, Brady Martin, and Reid Schaefer
Possible Lineups for Carolina Hurricanes
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov
Defensemen
Jaccob Slavin, K’Andre Miller, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker, and Mike Reilly
Forwards
Andrei Svechnikov, Taylor Hall, Nikolaj Ehlers, Nicolas Deslauriers, Sebastian Aho, Logan Stankoven, Jordan Staal, Mark Jankowski, Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake, Jordan Martinook, and William Carrier
Injury Report for Nashville Predators
Player
Position
Vitali Pinchuk
Center
Injury Report for Carolina Hurricanes
Players
Position
Seth Jarvis
Center
Alexander Nikishin
Defenseman
Team Analysis
The Nashville Predators faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in their most recent game. Both teams failed to score in the first period. After the first period, the Lightning took the lead as Jeffrey Viel scored two goals. Pontus Holmberg recorded one assist and one point for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the third period, Matthew Wood and Felix Nilsson scored for the Predators. Wood recorded two goals, zero assists, and two points. The match went to overtime, and the Predators defeated the Lightning. With home-ice advantage, the Nashville Predators will look to earn a victory in the upcoming game.
The Florida Panthers faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes, in contrast. Bradly Nadeau and Justin Robidas were key contributors for the Hurricanes. Nadeau recorded one goal, seven shots on goal, and one point. Robidas recorded one goal, no assists, and one shot on goal for a point. Aleksander Barkov and Brady Tkachuk were key contributors for the Florida Panthers. Barkov recorded one goal, one assist, three shots on goal, and two points. Tkachuk scored one goal, added one assist, and recorded two shots on goal for two points. In the end, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Florida Panthers.
The Pick: Nashville Predators
Detroit Red Wings vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Date: September 26, 2027 (Saturday)
Time: 07:00 PM ET| 04:00 PM PT| 04:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
Possible Lineups for Detroit Red Wings
Position
Players
Goaltenders
John Gibson and Daniil Tarasov
Defensemen
Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Ben Chiarot, Moritz Seider, Justin Faulk, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Forwards
Alex DeBrincat, Emmitt Finnie, Mason Appleton, Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp, Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, J.T. Compher, Lucas Raymond, Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Keegan Kolesar
Possible Lineups for Columbus Blue Jackets
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins
Defensemen
Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, Jake Christiansen, Damon Severson, Denton Mateychuk, and Dante Fabbro
Forwards
Kent Johnson, Dmitri Voronkov, Mathieu Olivier, Ryan Lomberg, Adam Fantilli, Sean Monahan, Charlie Coyle, Cole Sillinger, Kirill Marchenko, Valeri Nichushkin, Miles Wood, and Conor Garland
Injury Report for Detroit Red Wings
Player
Position
Dylan Larkin
Center
Injury Report for Columbus Blue Jackets
Players
Position
Isac Lundestrom
Center
Dante Fabbro
Defenseman
Mikael Pyyhtia
Left Wing
Team Analysis
The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in their latest game. Both teams scored in the first period. Kaedan Korczak, Nicholas Robertson, Rickard Rakell, and Rutger McGroarty scored for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Korczak recorded one goal, one assist, and two shots on goal with two points. Robertson recorded one goal, one assist, and two shots on goal, finishing with two points. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Wilmer Skoog, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Jesse Kiiskinen, Mason Appleton, and Ondřej Becher scored for the Red Wings.
The Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a defeat against the Buffalo Sabres in their NHL game. Both teams failed to score in the first period. After the first period, Noah Östlund, Tage Thompson, Conor Timmins, and Josh Norris scored for the Buffalo Sabres. The Blue Jackets scored in the second period, with Corson Ceulemans scoring their only goal. Furthermore, the Columbus Blue Jackets struggled with inconsistent performances in the early NHL preseason.
The Pick: Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators
Date: September 26, 2027 (Saturday)
Time: 07:00 PM ET| 04:00 PM PT| 04:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Centre Bell, Montreal.
Possible Lineups for Montreal Canadiens
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler
Defensemen
Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Alexandre Carrier, and Arber Xhekaj
Forwards
Chris Kreider, Juraj Slafkovsky, Zack Bolduc, Phillip Danault, Jake Evans, Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Alexandre Texier, and Josh Anderson
Possible Lineups for Ottawa Senators
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson
Defensemen
Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Tyler Kleven, Carter Yakemchuk, Jordan Spence, and Artem Zub
Forwards
Andre Burakovsky, William Eklund, Ridly Greig, Nick Cousins, Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Stephen Halliday, Drake Batherson, Fabian Zetterlund, Michael Amadio, and Claude Giroux
Injury Report for Montreal Canadiens
Player
Position
Kaiden Guhle
Defenseman
Injury Report for Ottawa Senators
Players
Position
Artem Zub
Defenseman
Warren Foegele
Left Wing
Team Analysis
The Montreal Canadiens faced the Ottawa Senators in their most recent game. Both teams scored in the first period. After the first period, the Senators dominated throughout the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Canadiens took the lead in the third period. After the third period, the game went to overtime. The Montreal Canadiens dominated in overtime and scored the winning goal. Ultimately, the Montreal Canadiens claimed a victory over the Ottawa Senators.
In contrast, the Ottawa Senators faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in their latest game. Auston Matthews, Jack Roslovic, John Tavares, Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly, and Zack MacEwen scored for the Maple Leafs. The Senators took the lead in the first period. They struggled to score during the first period. Tim Stützle scored one goal for the Ottawa Senators. In the end, the Ottawa Senators lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Pick: Montreal Canadiens
Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames
Date: September 26, 2027 (Saturday)
Time: 09:00 PM ET| 06:00 PM PT| 06:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton.
Possible Lineups for Edmonton Oilers
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi
Defensemen
Ryan Shea, Jake Walman, Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, Connor Murphy, and Shakir Mukhamadullin
Forwards
Leon Draisaitl, Trent Frederic, Isaac Howard, Alex Formenton, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach, Vasily Podkolzin, Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, and Mathieu Joseph
Possible Lineups for Calgary Flames
Position
Players
Goaltenders
Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley
Defensemen
Kevin Bahl, Jacob Middleton, Yan Kuznetsov, Simon Nemec, Zayne Parekh, and Zach Whitecloud
Forwards
Maxim Tsyplakov, Connor Zary, Samuel Honzek, Matvei Gridin, Martin Pospisil, Ryan Strome, Mikael Backlund, Morgan Frost, Adam Klapka, Yegor Sharangovich, Joel Farabee, and Matt Coronato
Injury Report for Edmonton Oilers
Players
Position
Alec Regula
Defenseman
Frederik Andersen
Goalie
Mattias Janmark
Center
Matthew Savoie
Center
Injury Report for Calgary Flames
Player
Position
Jonathan Huberdeau
Left Wing
Team Analysis
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Winnipeg Jets in their NHL match. The Edmonton Oilers took control of the game, with Atro Leppänen and Viljami Marjala each scoring a goal. Leppänen recorded one goal and two shots on goal, with one point. Marjala scored one goal and had two shots on goal, with one point. The Jets responded when Alex Iafallo scored in the first period. Iafallo scored one goal and had three shots on goal for one point. The Winnipeg Jets failed to score after the first period.
The Calgary Flames defeated the Seattle Kraken in their latest game. Jon-Randall Avon, Logan Morrison, Jagger Firkus, and Ty Nelson scored for the Kraken. Morrison scored one goal and recorded one assist for two points. Firkus scored one goal and recorded four shots on goal for one point. Aydar Suniev scored for the Calgary Flames. Suniev scored two goals and had four shots on goal, with two points.
The Pick: Edmonton Oilers
Closure
The 2026-27 NHL preseason features several notable teams aiming to build momentum ahead of the regular season. One of the top team clashes is between the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Another key matchup will see the Buffalo Sabers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 26. The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche on September 26.
The Edmonton Oilers will face the Calgary Flames on September 26 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The remaining teams will aim to avoid dropping to the bottom of the NHL standings.