NHL releases 2022-23 schedule
The NHL released its 2022-23 regular-season schedule on Wednesday, with puck drop on the next campaign earmarked for October 7. The Nashville Predators will face the San Jose Sharks in Prague to open the season and battle there again one day later.
October 11 will mark opening night in North America, featuring an Eastern Conference Final rematch between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden and the Los Angeles Kings playing host to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Colorado Avalanche will raise their Stanley Cup championship banner the following evening when they meet the Chicago Blackhawks as part of a six-game slate.
Here are some other key dates in the upcoming season to circle on your calendars:
| Date | Matchup | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 4 & 5 | Avalanche-Blue Jackets | Global Series (Finland) |
| Jan. 2 | Penguins-Bruins | Winter Classic (Fenway Park) |
| Feb. 2-5 | N/A | All-Star Weekend (Sunrise) |
| Feb. 9 | Lightning-Avalanche | Stanley Cup Final rematch (Tampa) |
| Feb. 18 | Hurricanes-Capitals | Stadium Series (Carter-Finley Stadium) |
| April 13 | 15 games | Final day of regular season |
The Avalanche and Lightning will face off again five days after their first Cup Final rematch, that time in Denver.
There will also be 15 games on Nov. 23, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in the United States.
If all goes well, the 2022-23 campaign will be the first conventional NHL season since 2018-19. There was a three-week break in 2021-22. It was originally established to accommodate the Olympics, but instead allowed for a slew of COVID-19 postponements when the NHL chose not to go to the Games.
The 2021 regular season began in January of that year and spanned only 56 games, while the 2019-20 campaign was postponed in March 2020 at the outbreak of the pandemic until resuming with the playoffs in August.
Tap here to view the entire schedule by club.