By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Carolina Hurricanes now know the path they will take in defending the Stanley Cup.
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The NHL released its full 2026-27 regular-season schedule Thursday, giving the reigning champions a complete look at the season ahead after announcing a day earlier when Carolina will raise its Stanley Cup banner before opening the new campaign.
The Hurricanes are slated to begin their title defense on Tuesday, Sept. 29, when it hosts the Florida Panthers at the Lenovo Center. The matchup features the NHL’s three most recent Stanley Cup champions, with Carolina coming off its second Stanley Cup title in franchise history after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Florida won back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025 before missing the playoffs last season.
Much of the roster that powered the Hurricanes to a 16-3 postseason record returns this season, giving Carolina another opportunity to contend for a championship. General manager Eric Tulsky has said the organization remains focused on improving despite lifting the Stanley Cup, emphasizing that the goal is to build a team capable of competing for a championship every season.
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“Our goal is to build a team that even when we’re not playing our best, even when we have some injuries, we still can win the Cup,” Tulsky said following the 2026 NHL Draft last month. “We need to keep taking steps to get to where we can be favorites year in and year out no matter what comes our way.”
The Hurricanes aim to become the NHL’s first repeat Stanley Cup champion since the Panthers accomplished the same feat.
The 2026-27 season also ushers in a historic change across the NHL. Each team will play an 84-game regular season for the first time since 1993-94, resulting in a league-record 1,344 games.
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Highlights from the Hurricanes’ 2026-27 schedule
- Season opener: Carolina opens the season at home against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, Sept. 29, marking the ninth time in the last 10 seasons the Hurricanes have begun a season at Lenovo Center. Carolina has won five of its last six home openers.
- Global Series in Finland: The Hurricanes will travel overseas in November to face the Seattle Kraken in the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland. The teams will meet at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14.
- Metropolitan Division schedule: Carolina will play four games against each of its seven Metropolitan Division rivals: the Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
- Saturday home games: The Hurricanes will host 12 Saturday games at Lenovo Center after posting an 8-1-1 record in Saturday home contests last season.
- Longest homestand: Carolina’s longest stretch at home features five consecutive games from Jan. 28 through Feb. 13, interrupted only by the NHL All-Star break on Feb. 5-6. January also features the team’s busiest home schedule with eight games.
- Longest road trip: The Hurricanes’ longest road swing is a five-game trip from Oct. 17-24 through Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and St. Louis. March is Carolina’s busiest road month with 10 away games.
- Holiday schedule: Carolina hosts Ottawa on Nov. 28 during Thanksgiving week. Before the Christmas break, the Hurricanes welcome Boston on Dec. 13. After the holiday pause, Carolina returns home to face Pittsburgh on Dec. 26 and Tampa Bay on Dec. 28, then opens the new year by hosting Nashville on Jan. 2.
- Back-to-backs: Carolina will play 12 sets of back-to-back games, down from 15 last season.
You can take a look at the entire 2026-27 schedule below: