The NHL season can feel like a long and arduous one, but just how many games are played?
Understanding how many games are in an NHL season is important for hockey fans and fantasy players. Knowing the schedule helps fans plan when to watch games and catch exciting matchups.
For fantasy hockey players, this information is crucial as it affects player performance, injury management and team dynamics. In this article, we will break down the NHL schedule, explaining how many games each team plays and how they are divided between home and away. By understanding how the NHL's game count impacts player stats and team performance, readers can improve their fantasy strategies!
How Many Games Are In an NHL Season?
The typical length of an NHL season is 82 regular-season games plus preseason and postseason contests. We’ll take a look at how the schedule has changed throughout history and, later in the article, how it impacts fantasy hockey.
How Many Games Does Each Team Play in the NHL Regular Season?
Each team plays a total of 82 regular-season games. Teams play against non-conference opponents twice, one on the road and one at home, while playing at least three games against teams in their own division.
How Many Games Does Each Team Play During the NHL Pre-Season?
The NHL pre-season is perhaps one of the most important in all of the major sports leagues. Pre-season NHL games are used by teams to evaluate players, finalize rosters and build chemistry.
Teams typically play between six and eight pre-season games. The more established players only play in a handful of those while some of the guys on the bubble or prospects may play in more.
One interesting thing about pre-season games is their location. Teams sometimes play at a neutral site, minor-league arena or even internationally to help grow the game.
The Structure of the NHL Regular Season
Every NHL team plays 82 games in a standard season. These games are split equally into 41 home games and 41 away games.
There are usually more games throughout the week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday while Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday may only have a handful of games each night.
Historical Changes to the NHL Season Length
Although the NHL regular season is now 82 games long, it wasn’t always that way.
In the first year of the NHL, each team only played 22 games. That expanded to 30 games per season in the 1920s and eventually 44 games then 48 in the 1930s.
That number steadily rose to 50 and 60 in the 1940s and 70 in the 1950s. The NHL regular season expanded to 74 games in 1967, again to 76 in 1968, to 78 in 1970, and then to 8o games by the 1974-75 season.
That's where it remained until expansion in the 1990s. Before the 1995-96 season, the league moved to the 82-game schedule, where it stands today.
There have been a few shortened seasons in recent memory due to lockout and a pandemic. There were 48 games in the 2012-13 season and 56 games in the 2020-21 season.
Leveraging NHL Game Counts for Fantasy Success
Given how the NHL schedule is structured, it’s important to look at when your fantasy hockey players are playing games to maximize your roster.
Knowing when players are playing or not player due to scheduling can help fantasy managers make better decisions regarding drafting and lineup management.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the NHL go to 82 games?
The NHL started its now-standard 82-game regular season in 1995-96.
Why did the NHL play 84 games?
The NHL played 84 games in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons with two extra neutral site games due to impending expansion.
How does the game count impact fantasy hockey players?
It’s important to look at game count so you can have your lineup filled out on any given night.
What factors can affect the number of games played in a season?
Expansion, work stoppages and pandemics can affect the number of games played in an NHL season.
Ready to Take Fantasy Hockey to the Next Level? Try Sleeper!
You should now have a good understanding of the length of the NHL season and how it impacts fantasy hockey.
Make sure you join Sleeper by signing up on the website or downloading the app where you can track players, monitor team matchups, and stay updated on the latest news around the NHL.
