When looking at the standings, it's often good to know how many games a team plays during the NHL season. How long does the season last? Does your team still have a chance of making the playoffs? Knowing how many games your team plays can help you know how their run is going throughout the season.

Even if the number of hockey games in a season has been consistent over the last few years, the total number of games played is not always assured. This article will go into further information about how many hockey games are played per season.

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How many games are played in an NHL season?

Every NHL club will play 82 games every season, 41 at home and 41 away. In addition, each club will play seven or eight exhibition games, with 16 teams qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

With a 32-team schedule, the NHL will play a total of 1312 games throughout the regular season. The regular season begins in early to mid-October and ends in early April. The 1312 games do not include any preseason or postseason games.

Let's take a look at how an NHL season would go for each club (and who they play against), beginning with the exhibition season, followed by the regular season, and finally the playoffs.

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The overall NHL season is broken into three portions with varying numbers of games:

  • Exhibition Season: 6-8 games
  • Regular season: 82 games.
  • Stanley Cup Playoffs: 16-24 games.

Let's take a closer look at all three aspects. 

Training camp for NHL teams begins mid-September to prepare for the regular season in early October. As part of training camp, teams play 7 or 8 exhibition games to prepare for the season. These are hardly the most thrilling games, and I believe, half that number is sufficient. 

However, the NHL appreciates the increased money this produces. For example, if you want to buy season tickets to a team, you must include the exhibition games as part of the package; there is no other choice. The majority of the exhibition games will be played against the three or four teams who are geographically closest to one another.

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How many games does every team play during the regular season?

Each NHL club will play 82 games during the regular season, 41 at home and 41 away. Each team's schedule is arranged so that they play 2 to 5 home games followed by 2 to 5 road games. This trend continues throughout the season, with each club averaging 7-8 home and away games every month.

Another way to look at the schedule is that teams often play every other night. It isn't as busy, but it's close.  The NHL regular season is not a sprint; it is a marathon.  The reward for winning this marathon is a trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs! 

The games are challenging. The voyage is difficult. These players are difficult. 

How many games do they play versus their division, the conference, and the opposing conference? 

The NHL regular season schedule is broken out as follows: 

  • three to four games against clubs in its own division (a total of 26 games).
  • Three games versus the other division in your conference (a total of 24 games)
  • Two games versus clubs from the opposite conference (a total of 32 games)
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