<P> The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs . In the regular season, which generally runs from early October through early April, teams play 82 games which determine their standings . The three highest - placed teams in each division and two wild card teams per conference enter the playoff elimination tournament to determine the Stanley Cup champion . </P> <P> Since the 1995--96 season, each team in the NHL plays 82 regular season games, 41 each of home and road . In all, 1,271 games are scheduled (480 of them inter-conference). </P>

How many hockey games are in a season