[ad_1]
If it seems to you that the 2020-21 NHL season has just ended, you are not mistaken: the Stanley Cup was awarded on July 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the league moved quickly into the offseason and preparations for 2021-22:
-
The expansion draft took place on Wednesday, in which the Seattle Kraken selected 30 players
-
The draft will take place on Friday and Saturday, in which 224 players will be selected (and more could be traded)
-
Free agency will start July 28
And if that wasn’t enough, we now have the official 2021-22 regular season schedule, which was released on Thursday.
It can be a burden to analyze 1312 games. So here are the games that we have circled on our calendars, as well as the schedule of the All-Star and Olympic breaks, the outdoor games and the Kraken “Revenge Tour”, that is to say the first game that each player exposed to the expansion will play against his former team.
Key matches
Tuesday, October 12: Seattle Kraken at the Vegas Golden Knights
The last two expansion teams to join the NHL face off on Opening Night. We’re going to go ahead and assume the pre-game Vegas festivities will involve a Gold Knight who wins over a CGI Squid.
Wednesday October 13: Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs lost a 3-1 series lead to the Canadiens in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, then watched Montreal advance to the Stanley Cup final. It was not easy to watch for Toronto. The Maple Leafs knew they were the most talented team. Toronto can’t exorcise its playoff demons until next spring, but the Leafs can get a cathartic rematch in their first game of the season.
Wednesday October 23: Vancouver Canucks vs. Seattle Kraken
The Kraken’s first regular-season home game at Climate Pledge Arena, and Seattle’s first meeting with its geographic rival to the north. It will be intense, but in the end we hope they can find some common ground on a mutual love for the Seahawks.
Tuesday October 26: Vegas Golden Knights at the Colorado Avalanche
These two 2020 Western Division (RIP) heavyweights only play three times this season. This is the first meeting, and the only one in Denver. Avs star Nathan MacKinnon couldn’t hide his frustration after being knocked out by the Golden Knights in this year’s playoffs, Colorado’s third straight outing in the second round. “I’m going into my ninth year next year and I haven’t won anything,” MacKinnon said after the loss in the series. “So I’m just definitely motivated.” A MacKinnon revenge tour? Sign us up.
Saturday, November 6: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on the NHL schedule and the temporary realignment of last season, these two big rivals will not have seen each other for almost two years. Their last game was in Toronto on November 15, 2019. “Pleasantries” will be renewed.
Sunday, November 14: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
The first of four meetings between these division rivals. Savor every meeting between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as you can.
Monday, November 15: New York Islanders at the Tampa Bay Lightning
Only two games so far – Monday’s NHL games will be light – but it’s definitely a game to catch up on. The Isles travel to Tampa Bay with unfinished business, having been eliminated from the playoffs by the Lightning in the semifinals two years in a row. In 2020, the Islands were eliminated in the sixth game in overtime. In 2021, it was the seventh game. Tampa Bay has won the Stanley Cup every time.
Saturday, November 20: Calgary Flames vs. New York Islanders
After playing their first 13 road games to start the season, the Islanders return home to open the new UBS Arena located right next to Belmont Park Racecourse. Public transport, a dozen bars and a place islanders fans can call home all the time.
Tuesday, December 7: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens
The first meeting between the Stanley Cup finalists from last season. The two teams will be a little different, with the Lightning having departures influenced by the salary cap and the Habs without injured star defenseman Shea Weber. What may not have changed: the animosity that has settled between the players in their short but moving series.
Thursday, December 23: Colorado Avalanche vs. Boston Bruins
Just before the NHL takes its annual Christmas vacation, we are witnessing a renowned interconference clash between two of the league’s top teams. The Bruins are getting close to a contract extension for winger Taylor Hall to stay, and the team is not rushing a decision with goaltender Tuukka Rask, who is due to undergo surgery later this month. The Avalanche could look slightly different this season if Colorado fails to strike a deal with captain Gabriel Landeskog. If Landeskog leaves, you can expect GM Joe Sakic to be aggressive in free agency.
Wednesday February 23: Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning
On the first day of games after the Olympic break, Connor McDavid and the Oilers travel south to face the defending champions. This is one of two meetings between the clubs this season. McDavid will have just played for Team Canada, while Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy will have played for Russia in the tournament. Could there be bad blood or unfinished business spilling over into this game?
Tuesday April 26: Edmonton Oilers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
No one knows what this game will mean for the Oilers or Penguins in their respective playoff races, but having a potential Connor McDavid battle against Sidney Crosby with just four days left in the regular season is pretty special.
The big break
February 4-5: NHL All-Star Weekend
The 2022 All-Star Weekend will be held in Las Vegas, with the Skills Competition on Friday, February 4, and the All-Star Game on Saturday, February 5 at T-Mobile Arena. The last night of regular season action before the break is scheduled for Wednesday, February 2.
February 7-22: Olympic break
Subject to reaching an agreement with the NHL Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation on all outstanding issues, the NHL has agreed to take a recess from February 7-22, 2022 to allow for the participation of players. players at the Beijing Olympics. If NHL players head to the Olympics, the regular season will resume on February 23.
Outdoor games
Saturday January 1: St. Louis Blues at the Minnesota Wild
The Winter Classic, postponed from the 2020-21 season, is played at Target Field in Minneapolis between these two division rivals. New Years Day in the Twin Cities sounds great!
Saturday February 26: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Nashville Predators
The Lightning is in their first-ever outdoor game and the Predators are hosting their first Stadium Series competition in this interconference match. The game will take place at the Nissan Stadium of the NFL Tennessee Titans.
Kraken Revenge Tour, 2021-2021
When the Golden Knights hit the ice in 2017-18, there was added motivation when a player faced the team that left him exposed for the expansion draft. With the Kraken taking a similar path this season, these are the games we’ve circled as the first clash between the players selected in the Extension Draft and their former teams.
Note that the Kraken will not have a “rematch” in Tyler Pitlick’s name against the Arizona Coyotes, since he was traded to Calgary on Thursday.
Thursday October 14: Nashville Predator Kraken (Calle Jarnkrok)
Saturday October 16: Kraken vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Gavin Bayreuther)
Monday, October 18: Kraken at the Philadelphia Flyers (Carsen Twarynski)
Tuesday October 19: Kraken vs. New Jersey Devils (Nate Bastian)
Saturday 23 October: Vancouver Canucks at the Kraken (Kole Lind)
Tuesday October 26: Montreal Canadiens at the Kraken (Cale Fleury)
Thursday October 28: Minnesota Wild at the Kraken (Carson Soucy)
Sunday October 31: New York Rangers at the Kraken (Colin Blackwell)
Monday November 1: Kraken vs. Edmonton Oilers (Adam Larsson)
Thursday November 4: Buffalo Sabers at the Kraken (William Borgen)
Thursday November 11: Anaheim Ducks at the Kraken (Haydn Fleury)
Wednesday November 17: Chicago Blackhawks at the Kraken (John Quenneville)
Friday November 19: Colorado Avalanche at Kraken (Joonas Donskoi)
Sunday November 21: Washington Capitals at the Kraken (Vitek Vanecek)
Wednesday November 24: Carolina Hurricanes at the Kraken (Morgan Geekie)
Friday November 26: Tampa Bay Lightning Kraken (Yanni Gourde)
Saturday November 27: Kraken vs. Florida Panthers (Chris Driedger)
Wednesday December 1: Kraken at the Detroit Red Wings (Dennis Cholowski)
Monday December 6: Pittsburgh Penguins at the Kraken (Brandon Tanev, Jared McCann)
Thursday December 9: Winnipeg Jets to Kraken (Mason Appleton)
Tuesday December 14: Kraken in San Jose Sharks (Alexander True)
Thursday 23 December: Calgary Flames Kraken (Mark Giordano)
Tuesday January 4: New York Islanders at the Kraken (Jordan Eberle)
Thursday January 6: Ottawa Senators at the Kraken (Joey Daccord)
Wednesday January 12: Kraken vs. Dallas Stars (Jamie Oleksiak)
Thursday January 13: Kraken at St. Louis Blues (Vince Dunn)
Saturday January 15th: Los Angeles Kings at the Kraken (Kurtis MacDermid)
Tuesday February 1: Kraken vs. Boston Bruins (Jeremy Lauzon)
[ad_2]
Source link