It is a big couple of weeks for the NHL. The league announced its full schedule today. The NHL Awards ceremony is tomorrow – check Cheers & Jeers in Wednesday’s print edition for a preview – with the draft next weekend in Los Angeles. Then the free-agent party begins on July 1 as we see what additions Caps general manager George McPhee has in store for next season.
But for now – the schedule. Washington opens on Fri., Oct. 8 at the Atlanta Thrashers. The next night is the home opener at Verizon Center against the New Jersey Devils. That’s one of just five home games in October as the schedule reverts back to its slower pace without the Winter Olympics. The season ends – well, hopefully doesn’t end – on Sat., April 9 at Florida.
In between there’s plenty of good stuff. The Caps take part in the Winter Classic, of course, at Heinz Field against the Penguins on Jan. 1. That will be the year’s most anticipated regular-season contest. The two teams also reprise their Super Bowl Sunday battle from last season. That is Feb. 6 – and I can only hope and pray and beg the weather gods that there won’t be 30 inches of snow on the ground this time.
The Western Conference teams Washington gets a home-and-home series with are Anaheim, St. Louis (oh, hello Jaroslav Halak. Good to see you again) and San Jose. Fans at Verizon Center will also see the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. Solid playoff teams Vancouver and Los Angeles – which has used the same blueprint the Caps and Blackhawks did to build a winner – also visit. The others are Colorado, another playoff team last season, Columbus, who the Caps seem to play every year at home, and the Edmonton Oilers – last year’s worst-team-in-the-league award winner.
No pre-Thanksgiving Day game for Washington this time around. It will be at Carolina on Nov. 24 with a 5 p.m. home game instead that Friday vs. Tampa Bay. There are no extended Southeast Division road trips in 2010-11. The Caps twice travel to Florida to play the Lightning and the Panthers back-to-back nights. But every game at Carolina and Atlanta is its own separate entity. The team does not leave the Eastern time zone after a five-game road trip from Feb. 14 and Feb. 21. That one starts in Phoenix and ends in Pittsburgh. Then there are six consecutive road games in March – Circus trip! – that begin and end in Montreal. But they are also spaced over 11 days and involve games at New Jersey and Philadelphia so expect it to be broken up.
Verizon Center hosts six three-game homestands next season. There is also a four-game homestand in early December against the Thrashers, Panthers, Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs. Washington plays five home games on Friday nights, another eight on Saturday nights and six on Sundays. That’s 19 weekend home games in all out of 41. Now we just need to figure out who will actually be playing in all of these games. The roster moves are up next.
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