Blackhawks shift start times of home games earlier

Key Points:

• The Chicago Blackhawks will start home games earlier in the 2026-27 season, with most weeknight games beginning at 7 p.m. or earlier and all weekend games starting at 6 p.m. or earlier, responding to fan feedback from a recent survey.
• This shift marks a change from previous seasons where most weeknight home games started at 7:30 p.m. or later; now, 19 of 23 weeknight games will start at 7 p.m. or earlier, excluding national TV games.
• The Hawks will open the season on the road in September, starting with a game against the Golden Knights during ESPN’s opening-night tripleheader, and will host their home opener against the Blues on October 6.
• The schedule includes notable matinee games such as a Black Friday matchup against the Rangers and a New Year’s Day game against the Bruins, as well as a two-game series in Düsseldorf, Germany, against the Senators in mid-December.
• The team will have two seven-game homestands, a bye week before the NHL All-Star Game in early February, and challenging four-game road trips late in the season, concluding with a home game against the Kraken on April 10.