Thoughts on Knights’ schedule: Cup Final rematch, Stadium Series, Dorofeyev return

The Vegas Golden Knights released their 2026‑27 NHL schedule on Thursday, revealing an expanded 84‑game slate that opens on Sept. 29 with a meeting against the Chicago Blackhawks. By forgoing a Winter Olympics break, the league has produced a more balanced calendar than the previous season. Vegas will face eight back‑to‑back sets, the first of which arrives Oct. 12‑13 with games in Minnesota and Nashville. The schedule’s longest road stretch consists of four contests, and the Knights are slated to endure five such trips. Their initial four‑game swing begins with a second back‑to‑back in Boston and Pittsburgh on Nov. 2‑3, continues with a Nov. 5 date in Detroit and concludes with a Nov. 8 matchup in Buffalo. A highly anticipated rematch with the 2024 Stanley Cup‑finalist Carolina Hurricanes is set for Dec. 21 at T‑Mobile Arena, marking the Knights’ final home game before the Christmas break. The sequel will take place in Raleigh on Jan. 17, preceded the night before by a contest against the reconfigured Florida Panthers. That sequence sparks another four‑game road excursion that launches in Washington on Jan. 12. The Stadium Series feature pits Vegas against the Dallas Stars at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 20. The Knights will wrap up a three‑game homestand on Feb. 18 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, spend a single travel day in Dallas, play in the Cowboys’ venue, then head to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 22. A two‑game homestand versus Florida and Anaheim follows the Colorado trip. After returning home, Vegas embarks on a four‑game East Coast swing that starts in Philadelphia on March 2, followed by a New York/New Jersey leg from March 4‑7. Pavel Dorofeyev, who was dealt to the New York Rangers on June 26 for two first‑round selections and a third‑round pick, will make his first appearance at T‑Mobile Arena as a visitor on March 13 when the Rangers arrive. New York had previously signed the Knights’ former leading goal scorer to a seven‑year, $77 million contract before he reached restricted free agency. Vegas will encounter Dorofeyev six days earlier on March 7 at Madison Square Garden. Additional notes from the schedule include the absence of a Black Friday home game for the first time since the 2020‑21 campaign, which was delayed until January because of COVID‑19. Instead, Vegas will play in San Jose on Black Friday and host the Montreal Canadiens the following evening. A home back‑to‑back with Dallas is scheduled for Nov. 17 and 19. The annual Nevada Day contest versus New Jersey is set for Oct. 30, and the Knights will ring in the new year with a home game against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 31. The season closes with a home‑and‑home series versus the Los Angeles Kings: a game at Crypto.com Arena on April 8, followed by the regular‑season finale and home finale on April 10.