The NHL released the 2014-15 regular-season schedule Sunday, and the Avalanche will open play against the team that knocked it out of the first round of the playoffs last season, the Minnesota Wild. Colorado will begin the season in Minnesota on Thursday, Oct. 9, and play the Wild in the home opener on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Colorado will head on a four-game road trip to Boston, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal after the home opener before returning to the Pepsi Center to meet Florida on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
The Avalanche will play all 29 NHL teams for the second year in a row. The schedule includes 17 home weekend games, with three on Friday, 11 on Saturday and three on Sunday. Colorado will close out the regular season with a three-game homestand that concludes against Chicago on Saturday, April 11.
The Avalanche went 52-22-8 to finish first in the Central Division last season under first-year coach Patrick Roy. Colorado will play each of the six division opponents five times. The Avalanche played 28 division games last year and went 19-6-3.
The Avalanche will play 20 games against Pacific Division teams, facing each three times except for San Jose; the Avalanche and Sharks will meet twice. The Avalanche will play 32 games against Eastern Conference clubs. The Avalanche will face newly-crowned Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles twice at the Pepsi Center, Feb. 18 and March 10. Other notable visits: Montreal (Dec. 1), Philadelphia (New Year's Eve), Boston (Jan. 21), Detroit (Feb. 5) and Pittsburgh (March 4).
The Avalanche will play back-to-back games 12 times, two more than last season.
The NHL All-Star Game will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus; the five-day break is Jan. 22-26.
The complete broadcast schedule, including Altitude telecasts, and information regarding sale dates for preseason and regular-season tickets will be released in the near future.
Here's the schedule (all times Mountain time, home games in caps):
PRESEASON
Mon Sept. 22 ANAHEIM 7 p.m. (split squad) Mon Sept. 22 at Anaheim, 8 p.m. (split squad) Thur, Sept. 25 at Montreal 5:30 p.m. Fri Sept. 26 Montreal 5 p.m. at Quebec Sun Sept. 28 CALGARY 6 p.m. Tue Sept. 30 at Calgary 7 p.m. Thu Oct. 2 LOS ANGELES 7 p.m. at Colorado Springs Sat Oct. 4 Los Angeles 8 p.m. at Las Vegas
REGULAR SEASON
OCTOBER Thu Oct. 9 at Minnesota 6:30 p.m. Sat Oct. 11 MINNESOTA 7:00 p.m. Mon Oct. 13 at Boston 11:00 a.m. Tue Oct. 14 at Toronto 5:30 p.m. Thu Oct. 16 at Ottawa 5:30 p.m. Sat Oct. 18 at Montreal 5:00 p.m. Tue Oct. 21 FLORIDA 7:00 p.m. Fri Oct. 24 VANCOUVER 7:00 p.m. Sun Oct. 26 at Winnipeg 1:00 p.m. Tue Oct. 28 SAN JOSE 7:00 p.m. Thu Oct. 30 NY ISLANDERS 7:00 p.m. NOVEMBER Sat Nov. 1 at St. Louis 6:00 p.m. Sun Nov. 2 ANAHEIM 6:00 p.m. Tue Nov. 4 VANCOUVER 7:00 p.m. Thu Nov. 6 TORONTO 7:00 p.m. Sat Nov. 8 at Philadelphia 5:00 p.m. Tue Nov. 11 at NY Islanders 5:00 p.m. Thu Nov. 13 at NY Rangers 5:00 p.m. Sat Nov. 15 at New Jersey 5:00 p.m. Thu Nov. 20 WASHINGTON 7:00 p.m. Sat Nov. 22 CAROLINA 7:00 p.m. Tue Nov. 25 at Arizona 7:00 p.m. Wed Nov. 26 CHICAGO 7:00 p.m. Sat Nov. 29 DALLAS 7:00 p.m. DECEMBER Mon Dec. 1 MONTREAL 7:00 p.m. Thu Dec. 4 at Calgary 7:00 p.m. Fri Dec. 5 at Winnipeg 6:00 p.m. Tue Dec. 9 NASHVILLE 7:00 p.m. Thu Dec. 11 WINNIPEG 7:00 p.m. Sat Dec. 13 ST. LOUIS 8:00 p.m. Thu Dec. 18 at Pittsburgh 5:00 p.m. Sat Dec. 20 at Buffalo 5:00 p.m. Sun Dec. 21 at Detroit 4:00 p.m. Tue Dec. 23 ST. LOUIS 6:00 p.m. Sat Dec. 27 CHICAGO 7:00 p.m. Mon Dec. 29 at St. Louis 6:00 p.m. Wed Dec. 31 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 p.m. JANUARY Fri Jan. 2 EDMONTON 7:00 p.m. Sun Jan. 4 COLUMBUS 6:00 p.m. Tue Jan. 6 at Chicago 6:30 p.m. Thu Jan. 8 OTTAWA 7:00 p.m. Sat Jan. 10 DALLAS 1:00 p.m. Mon Jan. 12 at Washington 5:00 p.m. Tue Jan. 13 at Carolina 5:00 p.m. Thu Jan. 15 at Florida 5:30 p.m. Sat Jan. 17 at Tampa Bay 5:00 p.m. Mon Jan. 19 at St. Louis 6:00 p.m. Wed Jan. 21 BOSTON 8:00 p.m.
NHL All-Star break Jan. 22-26 at Columbus
Tue Jan. 27 at Nashville 6:00 p.m. Fri Jan. 30 NASHVILLE 7:00 p.m. FEBRUARY Tue Feb. 3 at Dallas 6:30 p.m. Thu Feb. 5 DETROIT 7:00 p.m. Sat Feb. 7 at Minnesota 6:00 p.m. Sun Feb. 8 at Winnipeg 4:00 p.m. Thu Feb. 12 NY RANGERS 7:00 p.m. Sat Feb. 14 DALLAS 7:00 p.m. Mon Feb. 16 ARIZONA 7:00 p.m. Wed Feb. 18 LOS ANGELES 8:00 p.m. Fri Feb. 20 at Chicago 6:30 pm. Sun Feb. 22 TAMPA BAY 4:00 p.m. Tue Feb. 24 at Nashville 6:00 p.m. Fri Feb. 27 at Dallas 6:30 p.m. Sat Feb. 28 MINNESOTA 8:00 p.m. MARCH Wed Mar. 4 PITTSBURGH 8:00 p.m. Sat Mar. 7 at Columbus 5:00 p.m. Sun Mar. 8 at Minnesota 4:00 p.m. Tue Mar. 10 LOS ANGELES 7:00 p.m. Thu Mar. 12 NEW JERSEY 7:00 p.m. Sat Mar. 14 CALGARY 8:00 p.m. Thu Mar. 19 at Arizona 8:00 p.m. Fri Mar. 20 at Anaheim 8:00 p.m. Mon Mar. 23 at Calgary 7:00 p.m. Wed Mar. 25 at Edmonton 6:00 p.m. Thu Mar. 26 at Vancouver 8:00 p.m. Sat Mar. 28 BUFFALO 7:00 p.m. Mon Mar. 30 EDMONTON 7:00 p.m.
APRIL Wed Apr. 1 at San Jose 8:30 p.m. Fri Apr. 3 at Anaheim 8:00 p.m. Sat Apr. 4 at Los Angeles 8:00 p.m. Tue Apr. 7 NASHVILLE 7:00 p.m. Thu Apr. 9 WINNIPEG 7:00 p.m. Sat Apr. 11 CHICAGO 7:00 p.m.