The NHL released its regular season schedule of 1,312 games 2022-23 on Wednesday.
With the 2022 NHL Draft taking place Thursday and Friday and the free agency signing period starting July 13, there’s already a lot of games to look forward to.
[PDF: 2022-23 NHL regular season schedule by Club]
Here’s a look at several must-watch games in 2022-23:
October 7-8: San Jose Sharks vs Nashville Predators (2022 NHL Global Series)
For the first time since 2019, the NHL will play games in Europe when the Sharks and Predators play two games at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic to open the season. It will be a homecoming for the San Jose striker Thomas Hertle, a native of Praha, and defender Radek Simek, from Mladá Boleslav. San Jose played two regular games in Stockholm in the 2010 NHL Premiere Series; Nashville will be playing in Europe for the first time.
October 12: Chicago Blackhawks in Colorado Avalanche (Avalanche house opening)
Avalanche wasn’t able to celebrate on the ice at home, winning the Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay, but the Ball Arena should swing when Colorado faces Chicago and hoist the championship banner to the rafters. Avalanche won all three games against its Central League rivals last season and has won nine of the 11 games against them.
November 4-5: Columbus Blues Jackets vs Colorado Avalanche (2022 NHL Global Series)
blue jackets forward Patrick Lin, a restricted free agent, is from Tampere, Finland, where the game will be played at Nokia Arena. He scored four goals in two games when he last played there in 2018 as a member of the Winnipeg Jets against the Florida Panthers. Avalanche will also be represented by attackers Miko Rantanen (Nousiainen) A restricted free agent Arturi Laconin (Piikkio) He hails from his country of origin.
November 25: Pittsburgh Penguins in the Philadelphia Flyers. St. Louis Blues at Tampa Bay Lightning (2022 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown)
led by center Sidney Crosby, the Penguins will renew their rivalry with the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia in their first double-header game on TNT. Game Two will see Tampa Bay Lightning host the St. Louis Blues at Tampa’s Amalie Arena in a match between two teams who have combined to win three championships in the past four seasons.
December 6: Florida Panthers at the Winnipeg Jets (Paul Maurice returns to Winnipeg)
Morris spent nine seasons as a Jets coach before resigning on December 17, 2021 with the most wins (315) in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history. He assisted Winnipeg in the post-season five times, including the Western Conference final in 2018. Morris was appointed as the Panthers coach on June 22.
December 8 Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning (Ryan McDonagh returns to Tampa Bay)
It’s going to be an emotional night when McDonagh returns to the Amalie Arena in Tampa. The two-time Stanley Cup winner was traded to the Predators on July 3 after five seasons with Lightning. McDonagh helped Lightning win the cup in 2020 and 2021 and advance to the final this season and has been one of the most respected players on the team.
December 15: Vegas Golden Knights at Boston Bruins (Bruce Cassidy returns to Boston)
Cassidy led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his six seasons, including the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, before being fired as coach on June 6. The game is all about his calendar.
Jan. 2: Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins (2023 NHL Winter Classic)
The Bruins will play in the Winter Classic for the first time since 2019 and will host it in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, for the first time since 2010. On the other side of the ice are their Metropolitan Division rivals, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, who have not played in the game since 2011. When they hosted her at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Boston 2-1 at Winter Classic. Pittsburgh 1-1.
February 9: Colorado Avalanche at Tampa Bay Lightning (Stanley Cup final rematch).
The teams will meet at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay for the first time since June 26 when Colorado won the Cup 2-1 in Game Six of the Final. Although the menus will be different, the game should have a lot of star power, with Stephen StamkosAnd the Victor Hedman And the Andrei Vasilevsky Lead the way to lightning, and Nathan McKinnonAnd the Gabriel Landskog And the Cal Makar for an avalanche. They will also play five days later at the Ball Arena in Denver.
February 18: Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes (2023 NHL Stadium Series)
The Hurricanes will play their first game outdoors, hosting the Capitals at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the North Carolina State University campus. The capital is spinning 3-0 in the away games, having last played in one in the 2018 NHL Stadium Series. The game was originally scheduled for 2021 but has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
