NHL 2020-21 Program Announced | NHL.com

The other four games from the first night of the 2020-21 season include the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Philadelphia Flyers; Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs; Vancouver Canucks the Edmonton Oilers; and St. Louis Blues the Colorado Avalanche.

The program of the regular season with 868 games – 56 matches per team – will end on Saturday, May 8, when 30 of the 31 teams of the League will go out on the ice.

A complete list of the opening game of the regular season 2020-21 of each team is below and the complete program of the regular season 2020-21 is attached. Start times and broadcast details for all games will be announced when available.

As previously announced, in order to reach an agreement on the format for the 2020-21 season, the NHL and NHLPA have established that the continued closure of the US-Canada border requires realignment, and the League and Players have also sought to reduce as much as possible the team’s journey. by moving to the exclusively intradivisional game. It is the current plan to play games in the home fields of the participating teams, while we understand that most arenas will not be able, at least in the early part of the season, to host fans. However, depending on the prevailing conditions both in local markets and throughout North America, the League will be prepared to play games in one or more “neutral” locations per division, if necessary. Each team in the East, Central and West divisions will play 8 times each team in its division, while each team in the North Division will play each new team in its division nine or 10 times.

The top four teams in each division will qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, with intradivisional play in the first two rounds (# 1 vs. # 4; # 2 vs. # 3). The four teams that will advance in the semifinal round will be seeded with the total number of points in the regular season, number 1 playing number 4 in one series and number 2 and number 3, meeting in the other. Formal training camps will begin on January 3. There will be no pre-season matches. The seven teams that did not participate in the Return to the Game 2019-2020 will be allowed to open their training camps on December 31.

Notes on division

The following are division notes compiled by the NHL Stats & Information team before a season different from any other in league history. Completely #NHLStats Pack: Division notes for 2020-21 is available at media.nhl.com.

NORTH DIVISION

* The Northern Division marks a return to the roots of NHL rivalry. The league included only Canadian teams in the first seven seasons (1917-18-1923-24) until the Boston Bruins became the first US franchise in 1924-25.

* This is the first Canadian division in NHL history. When the divisions were introduced to the NHL in 1926-27, the Canadian division included the Americans from New York for all 12 seasons (1926-27-1937-38) and St. Louis. Louis Eagles in 1934-35 (a result of the original Ottawa Senators move).

* Montreal and Toronto, the two remaining founding NHL franchises, will play in the same division for season 41 of all time and for the 22nd consecutive season dating back to 1998-99, when the Maple Leafs joined the Canadiens in the Northeast Division. . Ottawa has also been part of the same division as the two original Canadian clubs since 199899; The senators shared a division with the Canadiens for each of the 28 seasons (including 2020-21).

* Edmonton and Vancouver will continue to be division rivals for a 41st consecutive season dating back to 1979-80 when the Oilers entered the NHL (Smythe: 1979-80-1992-93; Pacific: 1993-94-1997-98 ; Northwest: 1998- 99-2012-13; Pacific: 2013-14-2019-20). They have now been with Calgary for 39 consecutive seasons dating back to 1981-82, when the Flames – in their second season in Alberta – joined the Smythe Division.

* Winnipeg fans will find more old rivalries. The original chips were division rivals with Toronto for the last three seasons in Winnipeg (1993-94-1995-96) and were long-time enemies of the Smythe Division in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver (1982-83-1992-93).

* Vancouver will renew its acquaintances with former rivals in the Montreal and Toronto divisions. All three teams competed in the Eastern Division from 1970-71 to 1973-74 (each of Canucks’ first four NHL seasons) before the League realigned in 1974-75.

WEST DIVISION

* Los Angeles and San Jose will clash in the same division for the 29th consecutive season since the Sharks entered the NHL (Smythe: 1991-92-1992-93; Pacific: 1993-94-2019-20). With the addition of Anaheim in 199394, the intra-state rivalry between three California teams continues for the 27th consecutive campaign. Arizona remains in the same division with the California trio for the 22nd consecutive season of 1998-99.

* Los Angeles and St. Louis share divisional ties, as Kings and Blues have been part of the inaugural Western division for seven seasons, beginning in 1967-68, when the NHL expanded to 12 teams. They also joined that Minnesota North Stars division, which then battled the Blues in the Smythe and Norris Divisions for 16 of the remaining 19 seasons before moving to Dallas (Smythe: 1974-75-1977 -78; Norris: 1981- 82-1992-93).

* Colorado joins a division with the three teams in California, their divisional enemies for the first three seasons in Denver (Pacific: 1995-96-1997-98).

* The Coyotes and Blues will play in the same division for the first time since 1997-98 – the original Coyotes / Jets and Blues faced off in the Central Division for five seasons (1993-94-1997-98).

* The West Division includes three teams that have reached the Stanley Cup final in the last five seasons (STL: 2019; VGK: 2018; SJS: 2016).

CENTRAL DIVISION

* The longest active race as division rivals between the teams in the new central division belongs to Tampa Bay and Florida, who will play in the same group for a 27th consecutive season (Atlantic: 1993-94-1997-98; Southeast : 1998-99 -2012-13; Atlantic: 2013-14-2019-20). Chicago and Nashville are in line with 22 consecutive campaigns, which play against each other in the Central Division for the entire history of the Predators.

* The original six rivals Chicago and Detroit will play in the same division for the 47th time and the first since the end of a series of 31 consecutive seasons as rivals in the division in 2012-13 (American: 1926-27-1937-38; east : 1967-68 -1969-70; Norris: 1981-82-1992-93; Central: 1993-94-2012-13).

* Chicago and Detroit, who joined the NHL together in 1926-27, are joined in the new central division by six teams that joined the League or began playing in their current city in the 1990s or later (TBL: 1992 -93; DAL: 1993-94; FLA: 1993-94; CAR: 1997-98; NSH: 1998-99; CBJ: 2000-01).

* Dallas shares a history of divisional connections with Detroit, playing against them in the Norris Division as Minnesota North Stars for 12 seasons (1981-82-1992-93) before moving to Texas for another five campaigns from 1993-94 until in 1997-98 – the combination for all five division titles of that period.

* Lightning challenged its inaugural season (1992-93) in the Norris Division, featuring the Blackhawks, Red Wings and North Stars.

* Columbus returns to the Central Division, where he competed for each of the first 12 seasons (2000-01-2012-13). The Blue Jackets had the Blackhawks, Predators and Red Wings as intradivitional opponents during this period.

* Hurricanes, Lightning and Panthers were together in the Southeast Division for 14 seasons (1998-99-201213). Before moving to Raleigh, the Hartford Whalers played the first two NHL seasons in the Norris Division with Detroit (1979-80-1980-81).

* Tampa Bay and Dallas will become the first teams in 40 years to compete in the same division this season after meeting in the Stanley Cup final (1980-81: NYI vs. PHI in the Patrick Division).

EST DIVISION

* Boston and Buffalo will be intradivitional opponents for a 50th consecutive season dating back to 1970-71, the longest series of such assets in the NHL.

* Rangers and Islanders are in the same division for a 48th straight season since joining the NHL in 1972-73 (East: 1972-73-1973-74; Patrick: 1974-75-1992-93 ; Atlantic: 1993- 94-2012-13; Metropolitan: 2013-14-2019-20). The Flyers join them for the 46th consecutive campaign from 1974-75, while the Devils, Flyers, Islanders and Rangers line up in the same division for a 38th consecutive season from 1982-83.

* Bruins and Rangers will play in the same division for the 20th time in their history, but for the first time in almost 50 years. The first six rivals were together in the American Division together for each of New York’s first 12 seasons (1926-27-1937-38) and in the original Eastern Division for the first seven campaigns of the League’s expansion era (1967-68- 1973- 74).

* New York’s intra-state rivalry puts the Sabers, Rangers and Islanders in the same division for the first time in nearly 50 years. Buffalo played each of the first four NHL seasons in the original Eastern Division, with the Rangers for all four (1970-71-1973-74) and the Islanders for two (1972-73-1973-74).

* Interstate rivals Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will be in the same division for a 22nd consecutive season and the 41st overall since joining the NHL together in 1967-68 (West: 1967-68-1973-74; Patrick: 1981-82-1992-93; Atlantic: 1998-99-2012-13; Metropolitan: 2013-14-2019-20).

* Fans in Boston and Philadelphia will revisit a historic rivalry that featured several playoff battles in the 1970s between the “Big Bad Bruins” and the “Broad Street Bullies,” including a meeting in the 1974 Stanley Cup final and, more recently, a Winter Classic clash and a historic 2010 playoff series.

* Bruins (2019-20, 2013-14), Capitals (2016-17, 2015-16) and Rangers (2014-15) combined for five of the last seven Presidents Trophy victories.

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