How Many Games Are Played In the NHL Season?
Ever wonder how many games are played in an NHL season? Here’s a breakdown of the schedule by division.
82
In an NHL season, each team plays 82 games. 41 of those games are played at home, and 41 are played on the road.
Pre-Season, Regular Season, and Playoffs
Pre-Season: During the preseason, each team plays four to eight exhibition games. These games do not count towards regular season record.
Regular Season: The regular season lasts from early October through early April. teams play an 82-game unbalanced schedule, meaning they don’t play every team in the league an equal number of times. In general, teams play more games against division rivals and fewer games against teams in other divisions.
Playoffs: After the regular season, the top 16 teams in the league (eight from each conference) advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament, meaning that the first team to win four games advances to the next round.
How many teams are in the NHL?
The NHL is made up of 31 teams from the United States and Canada.
31
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams: 24 in the United States and six in Canada. It is widely considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
