NHL Announces 2015-16 Schedule

by

On Thursday, the NHL announced the full schedule for the 2015-16 season, which will kick off with four games on October 7 and end with all 30 teams in action on April 9.

The season is highlighted by three outdoor games, including the Boston Bruins hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass on New Year’s Day for the Winter Classic.

(Tom Turk/The Hockey Writers)
(Tom Turk/The Hockey Writers)
This season will also have two Stadium Series games, starting with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Chicago Blackhawks (who will raise their Championship banner on opening night) at TCF Stadium in Minneapolis on February 21. The second Stadium Series game will be inter-conference with the Detroit Red Wings visiting the Colorado Avalanche at Coors Field in Denver on February 27.

Here’s the full notes from NHL.com on how the schedules are built:

The scheduling matrix, ensures that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once a season:
Eastern Conference (8-Team Divisions)

Within Conference (Division): 30 games

* 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND

4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 x 2 =10 games

* 4 x 5 = 20 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams).

Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 x 8 = 24 games

Non-Conference: 28 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 x 14 = 28 games

Western Conference (7-Team Divisions)

Within Conference (Division): 29 games

* 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND

4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 x 5 =25 games

* 1 x 4 = 4 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams).

Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 x 7 = 21 games

Non-Conference: 32 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 x 16 = 32 games

Exception: One team from each division plays one less game inside division and one more game inside conference outside division.

Schedule Notes

Regular Season Opens: Wednesday, Oct. 7

Christmas Break: Wednesday, Dec. 23 – Friday, Dec. 25

All-Star Break: Thursday, Jan. 28 – Monday, Feb. 1

Last Day of Regular Season: Saturday, April 9

Other interesting notes:

  • The Anaheim Ducks will get an eight-game home stand from January 3-20.
  • The Ducks and the Avalanche will both have a seven-game road trip, while the Toronto Maple Leafs will have just a single home game between January 26 and February 15. While some teams, like the Sabres and Rangers, don’t have home or away stands that last longer than a three-game stretch.
  • The Minnesota Wild will play the Buffalo Sabres in Game 43 for the third straight season. Both season that was the game that snapped a losing streak and started a strong second half run that got them into the playoffs.
  • The Coyotes, Wild, and Sabres all play 15 back-to-back games. The Sabres also have nine home games that start at 12:30 or 1pm.
  • Dan Bylsma will make his first return trip to Pittsburgh on October 29.
  • This will be the Islanders first season at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, so each team will play their first in Brooklyn this year, including the New York Rangers on December 2.

    • Take a look at the full NHL schedule here.

    RELATED: Carey Price Sweeps NHL Awards

    [catlist categorypage=”yes” numberposts=3 excludeposts=this]