The St. Louis Blues and the NHL unveiled the club's full 84-game slate for 2026-27 on Thursday, and buried within the usual mix of division rivalries and cross-conference road trips is a scheduling choice clearly aimed at being more available for families with early bedtimes and Monday morning school runs.
Of the Blues' 22 weekend home games at Enterprise Center, 16 of the 19 contests falling on a Saturday or Sunday are set to start at 6 p.m. or earlier. It's a small but deliberate shift, one that trades some late-night ratings appeal for accessibility, giving parents a realistic shot at getting kids to a game and still home at a reasonable hour. The weekend slate offers three Friday games, 11 Saturdays and eight Sundays, giving the organization ample opportunity to lean into that earlier start time as a selling point throughout the season.
An earlier puck drop changes the mental planning of attending a game entirely. A 6 p.m. start, rather than the traditional 7 or 7:30, means a family can make it to Enterprise Center, watch the full three periods, and still be home well before a school night runs (extremely) late. The start times, especially on school nights, are no small thing for parents already navigating weekend youth sports, church commitments, or simply the exhaustion of a long week. It's the difference between a hockey game as an occasional splurge and one that can realistically fit into a family's regular weekend rhythm, week after week.
The season begins on the road, with the Blues opening October 2 in Dallas before pushing on to Colorado on October 3 and Chicago on October 6, a three-game gauntlet against Central Division rivals to kick things off. St. Louis will finally return home for its opener on October 8, hosting the Macklin Celibrini, Ivar Stenberg, and the San Jose Sharks at 7 p.m.
The expanded divisional format also means four matchups apiece against every Central opponent this season, while the Blues will continue to play 24 Pacific Division games and get a home-and-home look at every Eastern Conference team.