The Flyers are about to spend a lot of time in the national window in 2026-27.
The NHL’s broadcast slate on ESPN networks and TNT gives Philadelphia 19 nationally televised games, the most of any team except the Pittsburgh Penguins. That puts the Flyers right in the thick of the league’s showcase schedule, with only the team they beat in the first round ahead of them.
That first-round connection already showed up on the calendar. The Flyers and Penguins were always set to meet on TNT in Philadelphia for the season opener, their first game since Cam York’s series-ending overtime winner. Now that opener is joined by 18 more national dates.
Philadelphia’s season begins with a pair of national games right away. The Oct. 1 road opener at the New Jersey Devils will be a streaming exclusive on ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+.
It’s one of four Flyers games that will not be on traditional TV. The others are Oct. 15 at the Detroit Red Wings, Dec. 3 at home against the New York Islanders, and Jan. 28 at home against the Los Angeles Kings.
October is packed for the Flyers on the national stage. After those three streaming-only games, they also get Oct. 21 at the Buffalo Sabres and Oct. 28 against the Washington Capitals on national broadcasts.
Then comes a long dry spell: no national games in November, and after the Oct. 28 meeting with Washington, the Flyers do not appear again on a national non-streaming broadcast until Jan. 31.
That Jan. 31 game is the first of four ABC appearances and it comes against the Penguins again, this time as a Sunday noon matinee leading into the NFL’s conference championship games.
February brings a heavier dose of attention. The Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 3 on TNT, then visit the Dallas Stars on Feb. 18 on ESPN.
They also have a national game in Tampa Bay on March 25 on ESPN+. Those matchups stand out because Tampa Bay and Dallas have given the Flyers problems in recent seasons, so those games will draw extra eyes to see how Philadelphia handles teams expected to contend for the Cup.
There’s more in February, too. The Flyers host the Rangers on Feb. 20 in a Saturday matinee on ABC, and they get another home TNT game against the Sabres later in the month.
March adds a Sunday afternoon TNT game against the St. Louis Blues on March 7, with a 3:30 p.m. start.
The schedule closes the same way it opens: with the Flyers on national TV. Four of their final five games will be on national networks, including the regular-season finale. That can always shift a bit late in the year - TNT, for example, picked up the Flyers’ Easter Sunday game against the Boston Bruins this season because it became such a major playoff-race game, even though NBC Sports Philadelphia and NESN still carried local coverage.
One ending is locked in. ABC will carry Philadelphia’s season finale against the Washington Capitals, a game that could end up being the final regular-season, if not career, game for Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals and Flyers have battled down to the wire for a playoff spot in two of the last three seasons, with each team edging the other once.
Locally, nothing changes. NBC Sports Philadelphia will again carry all Flyers regional broadcasts. Jim Jackson and Brian Boucher have both earned national assignments for a reason, and they should be a strong listen once again.
Radio remains in place as well. Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk will continue on 97.5 The Fanatic, with no sign the Flyers are moving toward the kind of simulcast shift that has drawn attention elsewhere in the league.
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