On Thursday afternoon, the Columbus Blue Jackets revealed their schedule for their 26th NHL season. Let’s break it down!
84 games
For the first time in franchise history, and first time in league history since the mid-90s, the Blue Jackets will play an expanded 84-game regular season schedule. The additional two games allow for a more simple scheduling format; 4 games vs 7 divisional opponents, 3 games vs 8 conference opponents, and 2 games vs 16 non-conference opponents. 28+24+32=84. Previously, each team would play two of their seven divisional opponents only thrice.
Home Opener: October 1st vs Buffalo
Previously announced Wednesday afternoon, the Blue Jackets will start their season at home for the first time since 2023-24. Their opponents? Arch rival Buffalo Sabres, with revamped front office led by Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson.
In addition, games #2 and #3 will also be at home, vs the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, October 3rd and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, October 9th. Wait a minute…
Training Camp Part 2: Electric Boogaloo
That’s right, the Jackets have the luxury of a five-day break right at the beginning of the season, allowing for head coach Rick Bowness to further drill in on any needed tweaks right off the bat. Getting these types of breaks in-season is rare, and getting one immediately is a great luxury. Similar breaks helped determine the timing of Dean Evason’s firing in January, as well as allowing Bowness a similar mini-camp heading out of the Olympic Break.
Back-2-Backs
It can’t all be easy sailing; coming out of their five-day break, the Jackets play their first of 12 back-to-backs in the 2026-27 campaign. They are:
October 9-10: vs Pittsburgh and at St. Louis
November 5-6: vs Dallas and at Buffalo
December 12-13: vs Montreal and at NY Rangers
December 21-22: at Philadelphia and vs Montreal
December 26-27: at Washington and vs Edmonton
January 2-3: vs Boston and at NY Rangers
January 7-8: at New Jersey and vs Buffalo
January 15-16: at Edmonton and at Vancouver
January 23-24: at Ottawa and vs Anaheim
February 8-9: at Toronto and at Ottawa
February 17-18: at Utah and at Vegas
February 26-27: vs New Jersey and vs NY Islanders
On the plus side, only two combined over the first two and last two calendar months of the season. On the other hand, prepare for a BRUTAL winter. Literally every week from mid-December through February features a back-to-back, aside from the break for All Star Weekend. Conditioning has been a talking point around several players, so this will put them to the test.
Taking the Show on the Road
The good news? The Jackets don’t have any road trips longer than four game. The bad news? They have four of them. They are…
The Big Markets Trip: November 17-23 at NY Islanders, Chicago, Toronto, and New Jersey
The Southeast Trip: November 30-December 7 at Pittsburgh, Carolina, Nashville, and Tampa Bay
The Western Canada Trip: January 12-18 at Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle
The Rockies Trip: February 13-18 at Boston, Colorado, Utah, and Vegas
For those wondering, the California trip is March 3-7, but only against those three teams.
The Jackets’ longest home stretch is a five-game run between the Rockies and Cali trips, against Nashville, the Islanders twice, New Jersey, and Carolina.
Home-and-Homes and Afternoons
Everyone loves a good home-and-home, and the Jackets play four of them this season.
November 23 and 25, at then vs New Jersey
January 3 and 5, at then vs NY Rangers
February 9 and 11, at then vs Ottawa
April 3 and 6, at then vs Washington
Huh, all four have the Jackets on the road first. Weird.
In addition, the Jackets will play 12 afternoon games this season (5pm ET start or earlier), including 6 at home. Those home games are:
Black Friday, November 27 vs Detroit (3pm)
Saturday, December 12 vs Montreal (1pm)
Sunday, December 27 vs Edmonton (5pm)
New Years Eve, December 31 vs Washington (2pm on a Tuesday, apparently)
Sunday, January 24 vs Anaheim (5pm)
Saturday, February 20 vs Nashville (5pm)
Wrapping things up
The Blue Jackets conclude the season Saturday, April 10 at the NY Islanders, also a 5pm afternoon start.
The last two home games of the season are the two games before, Tuesday April 6 vs Washington and Thursday April 8 vs Philadelphia.
Also of note, the other Florida trip is right before this (at Florida, Tampa Bay, and Washington), meaning the Jackets conclude the season with four out of six games on the road.
That’s the breakdown! Give us your thoughts on the schedule down below