If you are planning to follow a team closely, buy partial season tickets, or simply understand the rhythm of the league, one of the first questions you will ask is how many NHL games in a season. At first glance the answer seems simple: each team plays 82 regular-season games. But behind that number sits a carefully designed schedule system that balances travel, rivalries, conferences, and TV demands, plus a long playoff tournament that can add dozens of extra games. This 2025 guide breaks down the full picture so you know exactly how many games there are, how they are distributed, and what that means for you as a fan.

How Many NHL Games in a Regular Season?

In the modern NHL, each of the 32 teams plays 82 regular-season games: 41 at home and 41 on the road. That total has become the standard across major North American hockey and matches the length of an NBA season, although the internal structure is different. The 82-game slate gives teams enough time for meaningful standings movement, while still leaving room for a long playoff run in the spring.

Total Number of Games League-Wide

Because two teams participate in each game, you cannot simply multiply 32 teams by 82 games. Instead, you calculate the total number of regular-season games like this:

• Each team plays 82 games.
• 32 teams × 82 games = 2624 team-games.
• Divide by 2 (because every game includes two teams).
• Result: 1312 regular-season games in the NHL schedule.

That means the league collectively plays over thirteen hundred regular-season contests before the first playoff puck even drops. Official league schedule pages on NHL.com give a sense of how dense that calendar becomes during peak months.

Why 82 Games Became the Standard

The NHL has not always used an 82-game schedule. Over the decades, as the league expanded and television coverage grew, the number of games increased gradually from 70 to 74 to 78, and finally to 80 and 82. The goal was to:

• Provide more inventory for ticket sales and broadcasters.
• Ensure teams played divisional rivals enough to build rivalries.
• Keep the season long enough to reward depth and consistency, not just short hot streaks.

Today, 82 games strikes a balance between financial needs, player workload, and competitive fairness. It is long enough that fluke results tend to wash out over time, but still compact enough to fit in a fall-to-spring window without overlapping too heavily with other sports’ playoffs.

Season Timeline: From Opening Night to the Final Horn

Knowing the number of games is helpful, but understanding when those games happen completes the picture. The NHL season follows a fairly predictable pattern each year, with small variations in start dates and special events.

When the Regular Season Starts

The regular season usually begins in early October, following a short preseason where teams experiment with lineups and prospects. Fans often look up when does the regular season start for NHL to plan early-season trips or schedule fantasy drafts. The first week of games sets the tone for the year, even though standings remain fluid for months.

Midseason Rhythm and Key Milestones

Through November, December, and January, teams play several games per week with occasional back-to-back nights. Key midseason milestones include:

• Holiday showcase games that draw national attention.
• The All-Star break, where stars gather for a weekend of skills and exhibition play.
• The trade deadline, when teams decide whether to buy, sell, or stand pat.

For fans, this stretch offers a consistent viewing routine. The long grind of the schedule tests depth charts and reveals which clubs are truly built for an 82-game marathon.

End of Season and Stretch Run

The regular season typically concludes in April. In the final weeks, playoff races intensify, with teams jostling for seeding or simply trying to secure the last wildcard spots. You will often see questions like is the NHL season over as fans check whether standings are locked in or if a few crucial games remain. Once every team completes its 82nd game, the league pivots quickly into the postseason.

How the 82 Games Are Distributed: Divisions & Conferences

The NHL is divided into two conferences (Eastern and Western), each containing two divisions. The schedule is structured to emphasize divisional rivalries while still ensuring that every team faces each other at least once.

Divisional Matchups

A large portion of those 82 games come against opponents within a team’s own division. Playing rivals more often helps build storylines and ensures that divisional standings feel meaningful. It also keeps travel somewhat manageable by clustering games against geographically closer opponents.

Conference Matchups

Teams also play multiple games against opponents from the other division within their conference. These matchups matter for playoff positioning because the top teams in each conference qualify for the postseason. Conference games can be crucial tiebreakers in wild card races.

Inter-Conference Matchups

To round out the schedule, each team plays at least one home and one road game against every club from the opposite conference. This ensures that fans in every city get at least one look at most superstars and that the league maintains a sense of unity despite its size. It also introduces more travel strain, which becomes a strategic consideration when coaches manage lineups and rest.

Do All Teams Always Play 82 Games?

In a standard season, yes—every team completes the full 82-game slate. However, real life sometimes interferes. Severe weather, arena issues, or other unforeseen events can postpone games. In most cases the league reschedules these contests later in the year, even if it means squeezing them into tight windows.

Postponements and Make-Up Games

When a game is postponed, the league’s scheduling department looks for open dates that work for both teams and the building. Sometimes this leads to back-to-back-to-back stretches, where a club plays three nights in a row. While not ideal for players, make-up games are necessary to maintain the integrity of the schedule and standings.

Shortened Seasons in Special Circumstances

There have been historical exceptions when external events forced shorter seasons—such as lockouts or health-related disruptions. In those years, the league adjusted schedules and playoff formats accordingly. However, those shortened campaigns are viewed as outliers rather than a new standard, and the 82-game format remains the target structure.

What Happens if a Game Cannot Be Made Up?

In extremely rare cases, especially if the result would not affect playoff qualification, the league could decide not to replay a game. This is highly unusual, but it is technically possible. When that happens, standings are based on points percentage rather than total points to keep things fair across teams that played slightly different numbers of games.

How Many Games Are in an NHL Season Per Team: Why It Matters for Fans

Understanding the 82-game structure is not just trivia. It directly affects how you plan your time, your budget, and even your wardrobe as a fan.

Planning Tickets and Trips

Knowing how many home games your team plays—41—helps you evaluate season ticket packages, mini-plans, and single-game purchases. You can target rivalry games, weekend dates, or specific opponents you want to see live. Fans who live far from their favorite team can use the schedule to plan one or two strategic road trips each year.

Budgeting for a Full Season of Fandom

Over 82 games, costs can add up quickly: tickets, transportation, food, and merchandise. Many fans choose a mix of in-arena experiences and at-home viewing to stay engaged without overspending. Understanding the cadence of the season—roughly three games per week on average—helps you decide how many nights you realistically want to dedicate to live hockey.

Building a Wardrobe for the Season

A long season also justifies investing in a few versatile pieces of team-themed clothing. A small rotation of hoodies, jerseys, and comfortable basics inspired by NHL apparel allows you to dress appropriately for different months and game situations. Early in the season you might focus on lighter layers, while mid-winter matchups call for heavier outfits that you can still wear comfortably inside the arena.

How the Playoffs Expand the Number of NHL Games

When people ask how many NHL games there are in a season, they sometimes mean the entire year from opening night through the awarding of the Stanley Cup—not just the regular season. The playoffs add a significant number of games on top of the 1312 already played.

Playoff Round Structure

The NHL postseason currently features 16 teams: eight from each conference. The tournament includes four rounds:

• First Round
• Second Round (sometimes called the Division Finals)
• Conference Finals
• Stanley Cup Final

Each round is a best-of-seven series, meaning a team must win four games to advance. A series can therefore last anywhere from four to seven games.

Maximum Possible Games in the Playoffs

If every series went the distance, the league would stage:

• 8 first-round series × 7 games = 56 games
• 4 second-round series × 7 games = 28 games
• 2 conference finals × 7 games = 14 games
• 1 Stanley Cup Final × 7 games = 7 games
• Maximum total = 105 playoff games across the league.

No postseason has ever hit the absolute maximum, but some years come surprisingly close. For a team that reaches the final and plays several long series, that can mean adding 20-plus games on top of its 82-game regular season.

Why the Number of Playoff Games Varies So Much

Because each series ends as soon as one team wins four games, some matchups finish quickly in four-game sweeps. Others go the full seven and turn into instant classics. As a result, the total game count from year to year shifts dramatically. This variability is part of what makes the NHL playoffs so unpredictable and compelling.

NHL vs Other Leagues: Game Count in Context

The NHL’s 82-game schedule sits roughly in the middle of the pack compared with other major North American leagues. Understanding these differences helps you appreciate the physical and mental demands placed on players.

NHL vs NBA

The NBA also uses an 82-game regular season, but basketball features fewer line changes and smaller rosters. In hockey, short shifts and constant substitutions spread ice time across more players, yet the physical contact and travel grind still make an 82-game schedule demanding. Both leagues then add lengthy playoffs, so elite teams in either sport can easily play over 100 games in a year.

NHL vs NFL

The NFL regular season features only 17 games per team. Football games are more physically punishing on a per-game basis, but teams play only once per week. Hockey players endure less extreme impacts per event but face them far more often, with multiple games each week and frequent back-to-backs. From a fan’s perspective, the NHL calendar offers more frequent viewing opportunities spread across the week.

NHL vs MLB

Major League Baseball plays 162 regular-season games—double the NHL’s total. Baseball’s slower pace and lower collision risk per play allow for such a long season, though travel and mental fatigue remain serious factors. In comparison, the NHL’s 82-game structure feels more compact, with each game representing a larger percentage of the schedule and, therefore, a bigger swing in standings.

Frequently Asked Questions About the NHL Season

Why exactly 82 games and not more or fewer?

The 82-game format evolved over time as the league expanded and sought a balance between competitive fairness, player workload, and financial health. It provides enough games for rivals to meet repeatedly and for standings to reflect long-term performance, without stretching the season so far that playoffs run deep into summer.

Does every team always finish all 82 games?

In a typical year, yes. Postponed games are rescheduled whenever possible to ensure that standings are based on a full schedule. Only in very rare cases—usually when the result would not affect playoff qualification—would a game be canceled outright, and even then the league can base seeding on points percentage to remain fair.

How many back-to-back games does a team play?

The exact number varies by season and team, but most clubs face several back-to-back sets, especially when travel or building availability constraints require compressed scheduling. Coaches often manage goalie starts and ice time carefully during these stretches to maintain player health.

How long is the NHL season overall?

From opening night in October to the end of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL season runs roughly eight to nine months. Teams that miss the playoffs only play through the regular season, while contenders that reach the final can be competing well into June.

Do preseason games count toward the 82-game total?

No. Preseason games are separate exhibitions used for evaluation and conditioning. They do not affect regular-season standings, and the 82-game total refers only to official regular-season contests.

Conclusion: Understanding the NHL’s 82-Game Marathon

Now that you know how many NHL games in a season, how those games are distributed, and how the playoffs expand the schedule even further, you can better appreciate the demands placed on players and the commitment required from fans. An 82-game slate followed by a potentially long postseason creates a true marathon where depth, health, and consistency matter just as much as raw talent.

For fans, this long schedule is an opportunity. It gives you dozens of nights to watch your team, plan trips to different arenas, and build traditions around game days. As you follow the season from the opening faceoff in October to the final handshake line in June, consider how your viewing habits, travel plans, and even your wardrobe—drawing on ideas from guides about NHL apparel or style tips for when does the regular season start for NHL and is the NHL season over—can evolve with the calendar. With a clear understanding of the season’s length and structure, every game becomes easier to place in context, and every win or loss feels like part of a larger story.