The NHL has released its 2026‑27 schedule, and the Pittsburgh Penguins sit near the top of the league in terms of travel efficiency. According to internal calculations, the club will cover roughly 31,800 miles over the course of the season, one of the lowest totals among the 32 franchises.
That figure is underscored by a comparison with the Seattle Kraken, who are slated to travel about 51,335 miles, the most of any team. The Penguins' itinerary is deliberately clustered to keep mileage low, especially within the Eastern Time Zone.
The schedule also features the most back‑to‑back game sets in the league, with 15 such stretches. By contrast, Calgary and Vegas each have only eight back‑to‑back series, highlighting the Penguins' unique workload.
The longest road trip will see the team journey approximately 4,800 miles through Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Minnesota before returning home. A secondary trek of about 4,700 miles will take them from Los Angeles through Anaheim and San Jose.
The single longest flight on the slate is a 2,240‑mile return from San Jose to Pittsburgh, and the Penguins will embark on 19 separate road trips, placing them near the top of the league in that category as well.
Strategic breaks and special requests
The calendar includes a holiday break from Dec. 23‑25, an All‑Star interval from Feb. 4‑7, and a series of staggered bye days spread between late January and mid‑February. The league also accommodated Penguins requests for home games the night before Thanksgiving and on Saint Patrick's Day weekend.
All of these elements are the product of sophisticated optimization software that balances arena availability, national‑TV windows, competitive balance and travel minimization. The result is a schedule that tries to protect player health while delivering marquee matchups for fans.
For the Penguins, the reduced mileage and thoughtfully placed rest periods could translate into more consistent performance on the ice. With veterans like Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby still contributing, and team president Vince Comunale overseeing operations, the club enters the season with a clear logistical advantage.