How Many Games Are There In An NHL Season?
The NHL season is a long one, with each team playing 82 games. That means there are a lot of games to keep track of – and a lot of potential for betting on the outcomes. But how many games are there in an NHL season?
82 Regular Season Games
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 member clubs: 23 in the United States and 7 in Canada. From its origins as a made-up league in 1917 to present day, the NHL has undergone several changes, including the addition and subtraction of various teams. The most recent expansion occurred in 2017 when the NHL added the Vegas Golden Knights, bringing the total number of teams to 31.
During a typical NHL season, each team plays an 82-game regular season schedule. This means that there are 1,230 regular season games in an NHL season. The number of regular season games played can vary slightly from year to year due to scheduling changes (for example, the 2020-21 NHL season will be shorter due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
4 Pre-Season Games
NHL teams play four preseason games. This gives coaches a chance to look at all the players in game conditions and make final decisions on who will be on the regular season roster. It also gives players a chance to get back into game shape after the summer break.
16 Playoff Games
In an NHL season, there are 16 playoff games. The Stanley Cup playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.
