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In a year like no other, the Rangers will see back-to-back games against the Islanders to start the season, go through a four-game streak against the Devils in mid-April, and end the truncated 2020-21 season with games against the Capitals. and the Bruins.
The Rangers find themselves in the middle of what is arguably the most competitive of the four divisions, which have been realigned to minimize travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, joining the Islanders, Devils, Bruins, Sabers, Flyers , the Penguins and the Capitals in the East. .
And with the condensed 56-game schedule, there’s hardly any easy stretching.
To kick off the 2020-2021 season, the Rangers will host the Islanders in back-to-back games at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 14-16. This will be the third time in franchise history that the Rangers have opened the regular season against the Islands.
With teams from the East, Center and West taking on all the other teams in their division eight times, the Rangers and Islanders will meet six more times this season. The North Division teams, which consist of all Canadian teams, will play every other team nine or 10 times.
The Rangers will host the Islanders again on February 8 before heading to the Nassau Coliseum – in its final season as the Islanders’ home before its Belmont arena opens – for three games in April. The Islands are expected to return to MSG on April 29 before meeting the Rangers for one last time on May 1 in Long Island.
While most games are scheduled in one- or two-game blocks, the Blueshirts will play four straight games against the Devils from April 13-18, with both teams hosting twice. The four-game streak against New Jersey is the longest on the Rangers’ calendar.
To cap off the 2020-2021 regular season, the Rangers will play two games against the Capitals and Bruins.
The Islanders are scheduled to play in seven of their first nine games in January on the road. Like the Rangers’ schedule, most Island games are organized in one or two games.
At the end of March, the Islands will face what is possibly the most difficult part of their schedule when it comes to competition and travel. After flying to Washington for back-to-back games on March 15 and 16, the Islanders then host the Flyers for two games a few days later.
The Islanders are then set to split four straight road games against the Bruins and Penguins, two teams that have won at least 40 games in the 2019-20 regular season.
With the 2020-21 regular season kicking off on January 13, the NHL has launched a five-game slate, which will include the Lightning lifting their second Stanley Cup championship banner before facing the Blackhawks in Tampa Bay.
The NHL is aiming for the end of the upcoming season on May 8, with the playoffs ending on July 9. The league’s ultimate goal is to return to a “normal” hockey schedule for the 2021-22 season starting in October.
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