Every team eventually meets up with the rest of the league multiple times in today’s NHL, but the schedule makers sure didn’t do the Flyers any favors when constructing their slate to open the 2026-27 NHL season.
While the Flyers do get to host their playoff rematch with the Penguins when the clubs meet up on Wednesday to open their seasons, it profiles as an (extremely) early measuring stick game and a physical one to kick things off. The Flyers must then go right to New Jersey to play the Devils in their first game of the season the following night. With fingers crossed that Dan Vladar is healthy enough to play in the opener, the team will be turning to Joseph Woll between the pipes right away for that one.
Following the game against the Devils, the Flyers return home for a grudge match with the defending champion Hurricanes, then travel south for a single game in Tampa, back north for games in Ottawa and Boston (where the Flyers are 4-10-2 over the past decade), and then check in at home to play Carolina again. It’s a crazy season-opening stretch that sees them play seven games in 11 days. The NHL season does start earlier this year, and the league won’t be shutting down for a long stretch like it did for the Olympics last season, but the two extra games and earlier endpoint of the regular season have effectively made the schedule just as tight as usual. There is no real letup.
Going further, the Flyers don’t have more than two home games in a row until the second week of December. Tough opponents, back-to-backs and travel are an expected part of a season, but this schedule is a daunting one that threatens to derail a hopeful campaign before it really gets started if the Flyers aren’t fully ready for the task.
It’s not just the frequency of the first seven games of the year that presents such a challenge, but the opponent quality is the true cause for concern. Yes, you’ll always have some tough matchups on the docket, but to open with six of the first seven games against intraconference opponents who made the playoffs last year (including two against the Cup champs) is borderline brutal. Then, the schedule offers top teams like Colorado, Buffalo, and Minnesota over the weeks directly following this challenge.
So, what’s the outlook here?
The Flyers start with this tough road and will have played 15 games overall by the end of October. There is no real “breaking in” time available, as young players will be asked to succeed in their roles immediately. The goaltending has to be reliable and, crucially, the power play absolutely has to show some signs of life for the first time in half a decade. If we’re looking at something like a 1-for-20 unit at the conclusion of the first seven games, it will not be a good harbinger for the long season ahead. With new combinations at their disposal, the Flyers’ power play can’t possibly be any worse than it has been, and even an improvement to “slightly below average” would be a huge deal for this team’s chances.
Jamie Drysdale on the Flyers power play last season and this season: “we were at the bottom. It had to be better.”@SportsRadioWIP @DefendPhillyPod pic.twitter.com/mNPsgypmDC
— Vani Hanamirian (@vani_hanamirian) September 23, 2026
All told, we’re looking at 84 Flyers games in 193 days, so buckle up. There will be some relatively “easier” portions of that schedule, but it will get dicey and difficult on more than one occasion, with its very start looming as a big obstacle that threatens to leave the Flyers behind in the dust early. This will be about banking points as soon as possible, and winning games in regulation to deprive conference foes of earning the loser/extra point.
Say what you will about making improvements and building momentum during the season, but the points on the line during this early collection of games count just as much once the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around. The Orange and Black have to be ready to prove that they belong in that group and avoid trying to desperately chase down other teams for most of the season.
The Eastern Conference is extremely competitive, and teams will be gunning for the Flyers’ spot that they worked so hard to earn last year. These first few weeks will be critical in protecting it.
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