NHL fans ticked off by bizarre scheduling decision in opening week

Insider Pierre LeBrun put it simply, when he said the scheduling is 'not ideal'. Fans, and players for that matter, have waited a long four months to watch their favourite team/s play, and now must wait a few more days, after getting a taste on Tuesday and Wednesday.

One hockey writer called the scheduling absurd, claiming the person responsible should be fired. Indeed, having a day with no games this early in the NHL season seems like human-error, more so than a technical oversite, especially given the Winter Olympics programming schedule.

The NHL regular season will pause after games on February 5, 2026, and resume on February 25, 2026, to accommodate the Olympic hockey tournament.

To fit the regular season's 82 games around this two-week break, the schedule for the remaining part of the season has been condensed, resulting in more back-to-back games for teams.

Each NHL team will have one more back-to-back game this season compared to last season.

As many around the NHL know, back-to-back games are more likely to cause strain and possible injury to players, and pose significant challenges for both players and goalies, impacting their physical condition, performance, and recovery.

The condensed schedule surrounding the Winter Olympics break will likely amplify these effects in the 2025-2026 season

Scheduling one less back-to-back game could have easily resolved the zero-games-on-Friday problem, and kept fans happy.
Whether the result of broadcasting rights, or personnel oversight, it is unclear. What is obvious is that we won't be watching live NHL action tonight.