With the next owner-imposed lockout years away, the NHL will return to its customary 82-game slate this October.
The 2013-14 NHL regular season schedule was announced Friday, with games set to run from October 1 to April 13. The new season will include a record six outdoor games and a 16-day break to accommodate the 2014 Winter Olympics.
On Opening Night, the defending champion Blackhawks host the Capitals in a game slated for NBC Sports Network. The game will mark the first of 12 appearances for the Blackhawks on NBC and NBCSN, tied as the second-most behind the Bruins (13).
The NBC broadcast network begins its coverage with the contractually mandated “Black Friday” game on November 29. This year’s game will pit the Rangers against the Bruins — the same matchup that was originally scheduled for Black Friday last year.
The January 1 Winter Classic also features the same matchup that was scheduled last year — the Maple Leafs against the Red Wings. Maple Leafs/Red Wings is one of six outdoor games scheduled for this season, and one of two that will air on NBC.
The network will also televise the January 26 Rangers/Devils game from Yankee Stadium in New York. Like the Winter Classic, the game will start at 1 PM ET.
The four other outdoor games are scheduled for NBC Sports Network — Ducks/Kings from Dodger Stadium on January 25 (10 PM ET), Rangers/Islanders from Yankee Stadium on January 29 (7 PM), Penguins/Blackhawks from Soldier Field on March 1 (8 PM), and Senators/Canucks from Vancouver’s B.C. Place on March 2 (7:30 PM).
Other notable national TV games include a Bruins/Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final rematch on January 19 (NBC), a Red Wings/Capitals game on Super Bowl Sunday (NBC), and a pair of now inter-conference Red Wings/Blackhawks matchups on NBC Sports Network — one on January 22 and the other on March 16.
No mention was made of “Hockey Day in America” in Friday’s NBC press release. The event usually takes place in mid-February, but the league will be on hiatus from February 9-25 due to the Winter Olympics.
(Fri. news from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
