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The NHL released its regular season schedule last Friday for all 30 teams. What is the best part about the schedule? The fact that there is one. Last year was miserable waiting for all the nonsense to sort itself out. The NHL returns to its 82 game schedule and with a conclusion that won't end at the tail end of April.
After taking the time to look at the Penguins schedule I have picked out some of the more notable dates during the course of the year. Before I get to those dates I think it is worth pointing out that the Penguins will be playing in 8 weekend afternoon games this upcoming season. That is down from the 10 that the Penguins played in during the lockout shortened season last year. I think that is great news because I detest afternoon weekend games, especially when the weather starts to get warmer in the spring.
Last year afternoon weekend games were 20.8% of the Penguins schedule, this year it will only be 9.8%.
One disappointing part of the schedule for the fans of Pittsburgh will be the severe lack of Saturday night home games. Only one Saturday night home date is on the schedule and that will be against the Buffalo Sabres on October 5 on Mario Lemieux’s birthday. The Penguins will play 4 Saturday afternoon home games. They will play 12 Saturday night road games.
Without further adieu here are the notable Penguins regular season games for the 2013-2014 season as I see it:
Thursday October 3 vs. New Jersey Devils
This is the home opener. The crowd will already be starved for Penguins hockey after the long layover but adding gasoline to the fire will be Jaromir Jagr’s return to Pittsburgh wearing the New Jersey Devils red. Anytime Jagr comes to town in Pittsburgh it is an event and this game is no exception.
Tuesday October 8 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Another famous ex-Penguin makes his return to Pittsburgh ice as Jordan Staal and his Carolina Hurricanes visit. Now one season into his Hurricanes tenure, he will be looking to have a breakthrough year from an offensive standpoint to justify his 6M cap hit. The Consol Energy Center crowd should give him another warm welcome.
Thursday October 17 at Philadelphia Flyers
Not much needs to be said here. This is the first match up of the season between the heated rivals. The Penguins went 3-1 against the Flyers last year.
Friday October 25 vs. New York Islanders
The Islanders and Penguins will face one another for the first time since their great round 1 match up in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders will be looking to take the next step in their development as a team this season, and they will certainly have this game circled on their calendar as one of the more important statement games for them.
Wednesday October 30 vs. Boston Bruins
The team that unceremoniously swept the Pittsburgh Penguins out of the playoffs will be making their first visit to Pittsburgh on this date. Also notable about this game is the return of Jarome Iginla. Iginla’s time with Pittsburgh was brief and did not go as planned but the Pittsburgh faithful should still give him a warm welcome given how professional he handled himself during his short time in the Steel City. Winning this game doesn’t change a thing about last spring but it sure would be an nice statement game for the Penguins.
Wednesday November 13 vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers first visit into Pittsburgh for the 2013-2014 season. Once again not much commentary needed for this one.
Wednesday November 20 at Washington Capitals
This game marks the first time in which the Penguins and Capitals will face each other while being in the same division since 1992. Alex Ovechkin is coming off of an MVP season and his Washington Capitals will be looking to prove that they can leave the Southleast Division behind hang in the new Metropolitan Division. Crosby/Malkin vs. Ovechkin always makes for a good storyline.
Thursday December 5 vs. San Jose Sharks
Longtime successful 3rd line winger Tyler Kennedy makes his return to Pittsburgh. His shelf life ran out as a member of the Penguins but his contributions to the team were mostly always positive and his work ethic was never called into question. The former Stanley Cup Champion should get a very nice round of applause in his first time back in a non Penguins capacity.
Thursday December 19 vs. Minnesota Wild
Former Penguins Assistant GM Chuck Fletcher and Assistant Coach Mike Yeo come into town with the Minnesota Wild. Also coming into town are Team USA stars Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Last but not least this game also brings the return of Matt Cooke. Cooke, like Kennedy, was a mainstay on the Penguins third line and provided many good years of service to the Penguins organization. Cooke will also receive a warm reception.
February 9 – February 26
The Olympic break. Penguins will be well represented in the Olympic Games and it should make for great theater as the NHL’s top stars all join forces to play for pride and country.
Saturday March 1 at the Chicago Blackhawks
The Penguins will be playing in their third outdoor hockey game. This time it will be at Soldier Field in Chicago against the high flying Blackhawks. The game will be in prime time 8 PM EST, hopefully David Steckel is not lurking in the shadows this time around.
The Penguins and Blackhawks boast some of hockey’s biggest stars but will not have played against each other in over 2 years by the time this game is played. The setting for this hockey game should make for a really awesome atmosphere. Soldier Field is one of the more awesome stadiums in football, placed right on the waters of Lake Michigan.
Also worth noting is that this will be the first time Sidney Crosby will be playing in the city of Chicago since 2006, yep it has been that long. Injuries and an unbalanced schedule have prevented the game’s brightest star from playing in one of the biggest North American markets for close to 7 years. This is totally unacceptable unless your season only has 16 games in it like football.
Saturday March 15 and Sunday March 16 Home and Home against Philadelphia Flyers
Anytime you put two of hockey’s biggest rivals in a home and home, you set the table for just about anything to happen. Given that it is later in the season and that points in the standings will be at a premium, I don’t think things will get too crazy from an extracurricular standpoint. That doesn’t mean it won’t be quality hockey played at an intense level.
Thursday March 27 vs. Los Angeles Kings
It is always nice to host a recent Stanley Cup Champion in your own building that still has plenty of fire power left on its roster. Could Jonathan Quick be receiving a similar ovation that Ryan Miller received in Pittsburgh except this time for a Gold Medal? Time will tell.
Sunday March 30 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
The Penguin fans will finally get to see the Blackhawks array of talent in person. The teams obviously will be playing an outdoor game earlier in the month but this will provide a normal setting for the teams to duke it out. This is not an afternoon game and will be in prime time on NBCSN.
Wednesday April 9 vs. Detroit Red Wings
Much like the Blackhawks, this will be the first time the Red Wings have played in Pittsburgh in over two years. With the Red Wings moving back into the Eastern Conference these two teams could find themselves in a new rivalry. There are enough players still left from the 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Final that could help stoke those flames. Also, it is always a treat for the fans to have Pavel Datsyuk, the President of Danglestan play in their city.
Those are the significant dates on the schedule as I see them. I am sure opinions vary on the subject, let me know what games you are looking most forward to in the 2013-2014 season.
Here is the full schedule for the 2013-2014 Penguins
Thanks for reading!
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