Avalanche to open expanded 84-game NHL season against Kings

Nate Peterson, The Denver Post on Jul 15, 2026

Published in Hockey

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DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche will open the season at home for the first time since 2022 against the Los Angeles Kings on Sept. 30.

With the NHL expanding the season to 84 games, adding two divisional games for each team, regular-season hockey will start earlier than usual. The league begins action on Oct. 29 with an opening-night tripleheader broadcast on ESPN.

The Avalanche will open the following night as part of a TNT doubleheader, featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Philadelphia Flyers at 5:30 p.m. MT and the Kings visiting the Avalanche for the nightcap at 8 p.m. MT.

The complete 2026-27 NHL regular-season schedule is set to be announced on Thursday at 11 a.m. MT.

The Avs opened last season against the Kings in Los Angeles on Oct. 7. Colorado, which swept the Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final, a bitter end to a season for a franchise that was the NHL’s best during the regular season.

The NHL has also set the date for the Avs’ Winter Classic showdown against Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The two budding rivals will face off at 4 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve.

It will be the 18th iteration of the Winter Classic and the first appearance for the Avs.

The game will be the 47th NHL regular-season outdoor game and the first for Utah, which is the only franchise that has yet to appear in an outdoor game. The NHL expects a crowd of over 50,000 for the 2027 Winter Classic; Rice-Eccles Stadium holds 51,444.

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