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The other four games on the first night of the 2020-21 season include the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins with the Philadelphia Flyers; the Montreal Canadiens at the Toronto Maple Leafs; the Vancouver Canucks to the Edmonton Oilers; and the St. Louis Blues at the Colorado Avalanche.
The regular season’s 868-game schedule – 56 team games – will end on Saturday, May 8, when 30 of the League’s 31 teams hit the ice.
A complete roster of each team’s 2020-21 regular season opener is below and the full 2020-21 regular season schedule is attached. Start times and broadcast details for all games will be announced when they become available.
As previously announced, in reaching agreement on the format for the 2020-21 season, the NHL and NHLPA have determined that the ongoing closure of the Canada-U.S. Border requires realignment and that the League and the players have also sought to minimize team movements as much as possible by switching to exclusively intradivisional play. There are currently plans to play matches in the home arenas of the participating teams, bearing in mind that most arenas will not be able, at least in the first part of the season, to accommodate fans. However, depending on conditions in both local markets and across North America, the League will be prepared to play matches at one or more “neutral site” venues per division should it become necessary. Each team in the East, Center and West divisions will play eight times against all other teams in its division while each team in the North division will play against all other teams in its division nine or 10 times.
The top four teams from each division will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with inter-divisional play in the first two rounds (# 1 v # 4; # 2 v # 3). The four teams that advance to the semi-finals will be ranked by their regular season points total, with the # 1 seed playing the # 4 seed in a series and the # 2 seeds. and # 3 in the other. Official training camps will begin on January 3. There will be no pre-season games. The seven teams that did not participate in the 2019-2020 return to play will be allowed to open their training camps on December 31.
Notes by division
Here are the divisional scores compiled by the NHL Statistics and Information team ahead of a season unlike any other in league history. Full #NHLStats Pack: Division Notes for 2020-21 is available at media.nhl.com.
NORTH DIVISION
* The North Division marks a return to the roots of NHL rivalry. The League consisted of only Canadian teams during its first seven seasons (1917-18-1923-24) until the Boston Bruins became the first American franchise in 1924-25.
* This is the first all-Canadian division in NHL history. When the divisions were introduced to the NHL in 1926-1927, the Canadian division included the New York Americans for 12 seasons (1926-27-1937-38) and the St. Louis Eagles in 1934-1935 (result of the first Ottawa Senators move).
* Montreal and Toronto, the last two founding franchises of the NHL, will play in the same division for the 41st all-time season and the 22nd consecutive campaign dating from 1998-99 when the Maple Leafs joined the Canadiens in the North Division -East. Ottawa has also been in the same division as Canada’s two Original Six clubs since 199899; the Senators have shared a division with the Canadiens for each of their 28 seasons (including 2020-21).
* Edmonton and Vancouver will continue to be division rivals for a 41st straight season dating back to 1979-80 when the Oilers entered the NHL (Smythe: 1979-80-1992-93; Pacific: 1993-94-1997-98; Northwest: 1998- 99-2012-13; Pacific: 2013-14-2019-20). They have now been with Calgary for 39 consecutive campaigns dating from 1981-82 when the Flames – in their second season in Alberta – joined the Smythe Division.
* Winnipeg fans should revisit several old rivalries. The original Jets were division rivals with Toronto for their last three seasons in Winnipeg (1993-94-1995-96) and were longtime enemies of the Smythe Division of Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver (1982-83 -1992-93).
* Vancouver will reconnect with former division rivals Montreal and Toronto. All three teams competed in the East Division from 1970-1971 to 1973-1974 (each of the Canucks’ first four seasons in the NHL) before the League realignment in 1974-1975.
WEST DIVISION
* Los Angeles and San Jose will face off in the same division for a 29th consecutive season since the Sharks entered the NHL (Smythe: 1991-92-1992-93; Pacific: 1993-94-2019-20). With the addition of Anaheim in 199394, California’s three-team intra-state rivalry continued for a 27th consecutive campaign. Arizona remains in the same division as the California trio for a 22nd straight season since 1998-99.
* Los Angeles and St. Louis share divisional ties as the Kings and Blues were in the Western Premier Division for seven seasons starting in 1967-68 when the NHL expanded to 12 teams. They were also joined in that division by the Minnesota North Stars, who then fought the Blues in the Smythe and Norris divisions for 16 of their remaining 19 seasons before moving to Dallas (Smythe: 1974-75-1977-78; Norris: 1981-82-1992-93).
* Colorado joins a division with the three Californian teams, their division opponents for their first three seasons in Denver (Pacific: 1995-96-1997-98).
* The Coyotes and Blues will play in the same division for the first time since 1997-98 – the original Coyotes / Jets and Blues faced off in the Central Division for five seasons (1993-94-1997-98).
* The West Division consists of three teams that have reached the Stanley Cup Final in the past five seasons (STL: 2019; VGK: 2018; SJS: 2016).
CENTRAL DIVISION
* The longest active run as division rivals among the New Central Division teams belongs to Tampa Bay and Florida, who will play in the same group for a 27th consecutive season (Atlantic: 1993-94-1997-98; Southeast: 1998-99 -2012-13; Atlantic: 2013-14-2019-20). Chicago and Nashville are next with 22 consecutive campaigns, playing against each other in the Central Division for all of Predators history.
* The original six rivals Chicago and Detroit will play in the same division for the 47th time and the first since ending a streak of 31 consecutive seasons as division rivals in 2012-13 (American: 1926-27- 1937-38; Est: 1967-68 -1969-70; Norris: 1981-82-1992-93; Central: 1993-94-2012-13).
* Chicago and Detroit, who entered the NHL together in 1926-27, are joined in the new Central Division by six teams that either joined the League or began playing in their present city in the 1990s or later (TBL : 1992-93; DAL: 1993-94; FLA: 1993-94; CAR: 1997-98; NSH: 1998-99; CBJ: 2000-01).
* Dallas shares a history of divisional relations with Detroit, playing against them in the Norris Division as the Minnesota North Stars for 12 seasons (1981-82-1992-93) before moving to Texas for five more campaigns from 1993-94 to 1997- 98 – combination for the five division titles in this period.
* The Lightning played its inaugural season (1992-93) in the Norris Division, which included the Blackhawks, Red Wings and North Stars.
* Columbus returns to the Central Division, where he competed for each of his first 12 seasons (2000-01-2012-13). The Blue Jackets had the Blackhawks, Predators and Red Wings as intradivisional opponents during this period.
* The Hurricanes, Lightning and Panthers were together in the Southeast Division for 14 seasons (1998-99-201213). Prior to moving to Raleigh, the Hartford Whalers played their first two NHL seasons in the Norris Division with Detroit (1979-80-1980-81).
* Tampa Bay and Dallas will become the first teams in 40 years to compete in the same division this season after meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals (1980-81: NYI vs PHI in the Patrick Division).
EAST DIVISION
* Boston and Buffalo will be intradivisional opponents for a 50th straight season dating back to 1970-71, the longest active streak of its kind in the NHL.
* The Rangers and Islanders are in the same division for the 48th consecutive season since the latter joined the NHL in 1972-73 (Est: 1972-73-1973-74; Patrick: 1974-75-1992-93; Atlantic: 1993-94-2012-13; metropolitan: 2013-14-2019-20). The Flyers join them for a 46th consecutive campaign dating back to 1974-75, while the Devils, Flyers, Islanders and Rangers line up in the same division for a 38th consecutive season since 1982-83.
* The Bruins and Rangers will play in the same division for the 20th time in their history, but for the first time in nearly 50 years. The original six rivals were in the U.S. division together for each of New York’s first 12 seasons (1926-27-1937-38) and in the original division for the first seven campaigns of the expansion era of the League (1967-68-1973- 74).
* New York’s intra-state rivalry puts the Sabers, Rangers and Islanders in the same division for the first time in nearly 50 years. Buffalo played in each of its first four NHL seasons in the original Eastern Division, with the Rangers for four (1970-71-1973-74) and with the Islanders for two (1972-73-1973-74).
* Intrastate rivals Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will be in the same division for a 22nd consecutive season and 41st time overall since joining the NHL together in 1967-68 (West: 1967-68-1973-74; Patrick: 1981 -82-1992-93; Atlantic: 1998-99-2012-13; Metropolitan: 2013-14-2019-20).
* Boston and Philadelphia fans are ready to revisit a historic rivalry that featured several playoff battles in the 1970s between the “Big Bad Bruins” and “Broad Street Bullies,” including a meeting in the Cup Finals 1974 Stanley and most recently a Winter Classic showdown and historic 2010 playoff series
* The Bruins (2019-20, 2013-14), Capitals (2016-17, 2015-16) and Rangers (2014-2015) have combined for five of the last seven Presidents’ Trophy wins.
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