Los Angeles opens it on a Wednesday night in late September — a date that lines up with a pattern showing up across several other 2026-27 NHL releases reviewed this week, where the listed “Game 1” falls before the league’s typical regular-season start. Real opener or not, the 2026-27 Colorado Avalanche schedule wastes no time getting difficult: St. Louis, Winnipeg, and Calgary all show up inside the first ten days.
2026-27 Colorado Avalanche Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Sep 30 | Los Angeles | 8:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct 3 | St. Louis | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 7 | AT Winnipeg | 6:30 PM |
| Thu, Oct 8 | AT Calgary | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Toronto | 5:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 13 | AT Dallas | 7:30 PM |
| Wed, Oct 14 | Dallas | 7:30 PM |
| Fri, Oct 16 | Pittsburgh | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Oct 19 | AT Philadelphia | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 20 | AT New Jersey | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct 25 | AT Nashville | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 28 | New Jersey | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Calgary | 8:00 PM |
| Mon, Nov 2 | AT Chicago | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Nov 3 | AT Columbus | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 5 | Nashville | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Detroit | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Nov 10 | AT Toronto | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 12 | AT Ottawa | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 14 | AT Montreal | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Nov 18 | AT Utah | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 19 | Anaheim | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Montreal | 7:30 PM |
| Fri, Nov 27 | AT Minnesota | 3:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 28 | San Jose | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 1 | AT Boston | 7:30 PM |
| Thu, Dec 3 | AT Detroit | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Dec 5 | AT N.Y. Rangers | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Dec 7 | AT N.Y. Islanders | 1:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 8 | AT St. Louis | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Dec 14 | Utah | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Dec 16 | N.Y. Islanders | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Carolina | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Dec 20 | Seattle | 6:00 PM |
| Sun, Dec 27 | AT Anaheim | 5:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 29 | St. Louis | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Dec 31 | AT Utah | 4:00 PM |
| Sat, Jan 2 | AT Vegas | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Jan 4 | Vegas | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Jan 6 | Ottawa | 7:30 PM |
| Fri, Jan 8 | Seattle | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Jan 10 | Nashville | 6:00 PM |
| Tue, Jan 12 | AT Pittsburgh | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Jan 14 | AT Buffalo | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Jan 16 | AT Washington | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Jan 18 | Vancouver | 1:00 PM |
| Wed, Jan 20 | Boston | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Jan 22 | AT Dallas | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Jan 24 | Dallas | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Jan 26 | Edmonton | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Jan 28 | AT St. Louis | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Jan 30 | Buffalo | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Feb 9 | AT Carolina | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Feb 12 | AT Florida | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Feb 13 | AT Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Feb 15 | Columbus | 1:00 PM |
| Wed, Feb 17 | AT Edmonton | 8:00 PM |
| Sat, Feb 20 | AT Vancouver | 8:00 PM |
| Mon, Feb 22 | Vegas | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Feb 25 | Winnipeg | 8:30 PM |
| Sat, Feb 27 | Florida | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Feb 28 | AT Chicago | 5:30 PM |
| Mon, Mar 2 | AT Nashville | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Mar 5 | AT San Jose | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Mar 7 | AT Los Angeles | 12:30 PM |
| Tue, Mar 9 | Philadelphia | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Mar 11 | N.Y. Rangers | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, Mar 13 | Chicago | 4:00 PM |
| Mon, Mar 15 | Edmonton | 7:30 PM |
| Wed, Mar 17 | Minnesota | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Mar 19 | AT Seattle | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Mar 21 | Chicago | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Mar 23 | Utah | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Mar 25 | AT Winnipeg | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Mar 27 | Winnipeg | 5:00 PM |
| Mon, Mar 29 | AT San Jose | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Mar 30 | AT Anaheim | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Apr 2 | Los Angeles | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Apr 4 | AT Minnesota | 1:00 PM |
| Tue, Apr 6 | AT Vancouver | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Apr 8 | AT Calgary | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Apr 10 | Minnesota | 1:00 PM |
A Home-and-Home With Dallas, Twice
Avalanche vs Stars 2026-27 plays out four times, and two of them come inside 48 hours in mid-October — Colorado hosts Dallas October 13, then makes the return trip a day later. That kind of quick-turnaround scheduling is unusual outside divisional rivals, and it’s a genuine early test of depth before the season’s even three weeks old.
A Nine-Game December Road Trip, Interrupted Only Once
Between December 1 and December 8, Colorado plays five straight road games — Boston, Detroit, the Rangers, the Islanders, and St. Louis — before a short home stand. It’s the kind of stretch that either builds chemistry or exposes cracks, and it lands right as the standings start to mean something.
A Late-Season Homecoming
March and April lean noticeably more home-heavy than the rest of the schedule — five of the final eight games come at Ball Arena, including the regular-season finale against Minnesota on April 10. After a road-heavy fall and winter, that’s a real advantage heading into the stretch run.
The Bottom Line
Eighty-four games as released, likely 83 once the Sep 30 opener is confirmed one way or the other. The Colorado Avalanche road trip 2026-27 through Boston, Detroit, and both New York teams in early December is the stretch worth watching — how the Avalanche handle five road games in eight days will say a lot about where this team stands heading into the new year.
FAQ
Q: When does the Colorado Avalanche 2026-27 season open?
A: The release lists Wednesday, September 30, at home against Los Angeles as the first game, though that date — one day later than a similar pattern seen on other 2026-27 team schedules — is likely a preseason game rather than the true opener. The more probable Game 1 is Saturday, October 3, against St. Louis.
Q: How many times do the Avalanche play the Stars in 2026-27?
A: Avalanche vs Stars 2026-27 features four meetings, including a home-and-home just one day apart on October 13 and 14, plus two more games in January.
Q: What is Colorado’s toughest road trip in 2026-27?
A: The Colorado Avalanche road trip 2026-27 through Boston, Detroit, the N.Y. Rangers, and the N.Y. Islanders in early December — five road games in eight days — is the most demanding stretch on the schedule.
Q: How many home games does Colorado play in 2026-27?
A: Based on the released schedule, Colorado Avalanche home games 2026-27 total 42 dates at Ball Arena against 42 road games, for 84 games listed overall — one more than the standard 82-game season if the Sep 30 game is preseason as suspected.
