Pens to raise Cup banner vs. Caps as NHL teams reveal home openers
The 2016-17 NHL schedule will be released in full on Tuesday, just over a week since the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup over the San Jose Sharks.
This is quite the busy time for the league with a Las Vegas expansion announcement coming, the entry draft taking place this weekend and free agency opening up in 11 days.
For an appetizer, NHL teams announced their home openers on Monday to remind us that we’re only 113 days away from the start of next season.
Anaheim Ducks: Sunday, Oct. 23 vs. Vancouver
Arizona Coyotes: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Philadelphia
Boston Bruins: Thursday, Oct. 20 vs. New Jersey
Buffalo Sabres: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Montreal
Calgary Flames: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Edmonton
Carolina Hurricanes: Friday, Oct. 28 vs. NY Rangers
Chicago Blackhawks: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. St. Louis
Colorado Avalanche: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Dallas
Columbus Blue Jackets: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Boston
Dallas Stars: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Anaheim
Detroit Red Wings: Monday, Oct. 17 vs. Ottawa
Edmonton Oilers: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Calgary
Florida Panthers: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. New Jersey
Los Angeles Kings: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Philadelphia
Minnesota Wild: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Winnipeg
Montreal Canadiens: Tuesday, Oct. 18 vs. Pittsburgh
Nashville Predators: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Chicago
New Jersey Devils: Tuesday, Oct. 18 vs. Anaheim
New York Islanders: Sunday, Oct. 16 vs. Anaheim
New York Rangers: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. NY Islanders
Ottawa Senators: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Toronto
Philadelphia Flyers: Thursday, Oct. 20 vs. Anaheim
Pittsburgh Penguins: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Washington
San Jose Sharks: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Los Angeles
St. Louis Blues: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Minnesota
Tampa Bay Lightning: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Detroit
Toronto Maple Leafs: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Boston
Vancouver Canucks: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Calgary
Washington Capitals: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. NY Islanders
Winnipeg Jets: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Carolina
Some notable openers:
• The Penguins will raise their fourth Cup banner in front of the Capitals. Oh, what a nice little troll job there.
• The Oilers and Flames will open Edmonton’s new Rogers Place with another edition of the “Battle of Alberta.”
• The final season of games at Joe Louis Arena begins on Oct. 17 as the Red Wings host Ottawa.
• As seems to be tradition, Anaheim will open the season on the road and serve as the visitors for four home openers.
We’ll have more notable dates on the 2016-17 NHL schedule tomorrow when the full thing is released.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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