Early last week, I ran down the
key dates in the rest of the Canucks' offseason.
The next event to look forward to is the World Junior Summer Showcase. That kicks off on Saturday but broadcast TV coverage doesn't begin until next Wednesday, on TSN.
Today, I'll break down the first half of the regular-season schedule, including the theme nights that are planned as part of the team's 50th Anniversary Celebrations.
October
After preseason wraps up on September 26, the Canucks will be part of a four-game opening-night slate on Wednesday, October 2, when they take on the Oilers in Edmonton for the Canadian late game. The U.S. opening-night double header is fun, starting with a matchup between the last two Stanley Cup champs as the Capitals visit St. Louis to take on the Blues as they raise their championship banner. The late game is a rematch between the Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Canucks will play 12 games in October, but they're pretty nicely spaced out, which should give Travis Green plenty of practice time as he works to establish chemistry with his revamped lineup. Game 2 will take place on Saturday, October 5 in Calgary, then the team will return to Vancouver for three days off before kicking off a three-game homestand with its home opener against the Los Angeles Kings and their new coach, Todd McLellan. The October 9 date and the opponent, the Kings, both match up exactly with the Canucks' first-ever NHL game back in 1970.
Three days later, the homestand will continue as Alain Vigneault makes his first visit to Vancouver as the new coach of the Philadelphia Flyers—and Canucks fans should get their first look at Philly's new goaltending phenom, Carter Hart.
After two more days off, the homestand will conclude with a visit from the Detroit Red Wings, then the Canucks will hit the road for four games, starting in St. Louis, followed by back-to-back weekend morning games against the Rangers and Devils and concluding in Detroit—wrapping up the season series against the Red Wings on their ninth game of the year.
Then, it's home two a pair of games—first, against Washington and a celebration of Diwali, followed by a visit from the Florida Panthers.
The October schedule wraps up with the beginning of the first California trip of the season—starting in L.A. on Wednesday, October 30, then followed by a back-to-backs in Anaheim and San Jose on Friday and Saturday.
November
November is a busy month, with 15 games, including 10 on the road. The first home game of the month will feel a bit like a road game, too, as the Canucks will return from California for a single game at Rogers Arena against St. Louis before hopping back on Air Canuck for back-to-backs in Chicago and Winnipeg. The home game against the Blues on Nov. 5 will also be the first "decades" celebration of the year—70s night.
Travis Green will need to have his boys organized by the time they roll into November, because the team will only have three spots all month where they'll have more than one day off between games. Mid-month, they'll return home for a week, with games on alternate nights against Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils, Matt Duchene and the Nashville Predators, Joe Pavelski and the Dallas Stars and Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche.
Then, it's back on the road for six—one of their longest trips of the season, but it's reasonably well routed and the games are spaced out. The trip starts in Dallas on November 19, then goes to Nashville, Washington, Philly and Pittsburgh before a two-day break and the conclusion in Edmonton on November 30.
That's the first game of a home-and-home back-to-back against the Oilers, who will make their first visit to Rogers Arena to kick off a five-game homestand in December.
December
The Canucks' schedule will ease off as Christmas approaches, with 10 of 13 games at home and no travel outside the Pacific Time Zone. After the Oilers, the first homestand will include games against Ottawa, Buffalo, Toronto and Carolina, then the Canucks will take off for a quick back-to-back weekend set in San Jose and Vegas before returning for five more home games—before Christmas against Montreal, Vegas, Pittsburgh and Edmonton, then returning after their four-day holiday break against L.A.
The December schedule wraps up with a quick visit to Calgary on the 29th. The boys should be home for New Year's Eve.
The Canucks will celebrate 80s Night when their expansion cousins from Buffalo come to town on December 7th, complete with memories of the launch of Towel Power and Vancouver's first run to the Stanley Cup Final.
January
Bye weeks piggybacks onto the All-Star Break in January, so the Canucks will be off for eight days between January 19-26, with home games on either side of the break. The month features five home games and six road contests, kicking off 2020 at Rogers Arena with visits from Chicago and the New York Rangers. Then, it's a five-game road trip that could be a bit tough to pack for—starting in the sunshine Tampa and Florida before veering dramatically north to finish off in Buffalo, Minnesota and Winnipeg. Brrr!!
The Canucks will roll into their bye week with home games against Arizona and San Jose. The All-Star Game will be held on Sunday, January 26th—in St. Louis, rather serendipitously—then the Canucks will get back to work by hosting the Blues one day later, on the 27th, then kicking off a five-game road trip in San Jose on the 29th.
90s Night lands in January—very appropriately, against the Rangers on January 4th. The Lunar New Year celebration will also take place on January 18th, against the Sharks.
That takes us into the heart of the season—and I don't see any obvious trouble spots, unlike most years. Will this help keep the injury bug at bay a bit this season??
I'll break down the last three months of the schedule in a future blog.
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