The other four games on the first night of the 2020-21 season include the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Philadelphia Flyers; the Montreal Canadiens with the Toronto Maple Leafs; the Vancouver Canucks at the Edmonton Oilers; and the St. Louis Blues at the Colorado Avalanche.
The regular season of 868 games – 56 games per team – will close on Saturday, May 8, as 30 of the League’s 31 teams take to the ice.
A full list of each team’s 2020-21 regular season opening game is below and the full schedule for the 2020-21 regular season is attached. Start times and broadcast details for all games will be announced when available.
As previously announced, in reaching agreement on the format for the 2020-2021 season, the NHL and NHLPA determined that the continued closure of the US-Canada border required a realignment and that the league and the players should also attempt to travel from limit the team as much as possible. by switching to exclusive intra-division play. It is the current plan to play matches in the home arenas of participating teams, while we understand that most arenas will not be able to host fans, at least for the first part of the season. However, depending on the prevailing conditions in both the local markets and North America, the League will be prepared to play games in one or more “neutral locations” per division, should the need arise. Each team in the East, Central and West divisions plays eight times against every other team in its division, while each team in the North division plays nine or 10 times against every other team in its division.
The top four teams in each division qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with intradivisional play in the first two rounds (# 1 versus # 4; # 2 versus # 3). The four teams advancing to the semifinals would be classified based on their regular season point totals, with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 4 seed in one series and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the other. Formal training camps begin on January 3. There are no competitions for the season. The seven teams that did not participate in the Return to Play 2019/20 are allowed to open their training camps on December 31.
Notes by division
The following are notes by division compiled by the NHL Stats & Information Team in the run-up to a season like never before in League history. A complete #NHLStats Pack: Division Notes for 2020-21 is available at media.nhl.com.
NORTH DIVISION
* The North Division marks a return to the rivalry roots of the NHL. The League only included Canadian teams in the first seven seasons (1917-18-1923-24) until the Boston Bruins became the first American franchise in 1924-25.
* This is the first all-Canadian division in NHL history. When divisions were introduced to the NHL in 1926-27, the Canadian division included the New York Americans for all 12 seasons (1926-27-1937-38) and the St. Louis Eagles in 1934-35 (a result of the original Ottawa Senators move).
* Montreal and Toronto, the two remaining founding franchises of the NHL, will play in the same division for the 41st season of all time and the 22nd consecutive campaign dating from 1998-99 when the Maple Leafs joined the Canadiens in the Northeast Division. Ottawa has also been part of the same division as Canada’s two Original Six clubs since 199899; the senators have shared a division with the Canadiens for each of their 28 seasons (including 2020-21).
* Edmonton and Vancouver will continue as divisional rivals for a 41st consecutive season dating from 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 are now 39 consecutive campaigns at Calgary dating back to 1981-82 when the Flames – in their second season in Alberta – joined the Smythe Division.
* Fans in Winnipeg will revisit several old rivalries. The original Jets were divisional rivals with Toronto for their last three seasons at Winnipeg (1993-94-1995-96) and were long enemies of the Smythe Division of Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver (1982-83-1992-93).
* Vancouver will re-meet former division rivals Montreal and Toronto. All three teams competed in the East Division from 1970-71 to 1973-74 (each of the Canucks’ first four NHL seasons) before realigning the League 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, three teams’ intrastatal rivalry in California continues for a 27th consecutive campaign. Arizona remains in the same division as the California trio for the 22nd consecutive season since 1998-99.
* Los Angeles and St. Louis share divisional ties as the Kings and Blues were part of the inaugural West Division for seven seasons, beginning in 1967-68 when the NHL expanded to 12 teams. They were also joined in that division by the Minnesota North Stars, who then fought the Blues for 16 of the 19 remaining seasons in the Smythe and Norris divisions before moving to Dallas (Smythe: 1974-75-1977-78; Norris : 1981-82-1992-93).
* Colorado rejoins a division with the three California teams, their division enemies for their 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 Coyotes / original Jets and Blues collided in the Central Division for five seasons (1993-94-1997-98).
* The West Division includes three teams that have reached the Stanley Cup finals in the past five seasons (STL: 2019; VGK: 2018; SJS: 2016).
CENTRAL DIVISION
* The longest active run as division rivals among teams in the new Central Division is from 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 Ocean: 2013-14-2019-20). Chicago and Nashville are next with 22 consecutive campaigns, playing against each other in the Central Division for all of Predators’ history.
* Original six rivals Chicago and Detroit will play in the same division for the 47th time and for the first time since a run of 31 consecutive seasons as division rivals 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 entered the NHL together in 1926-27, will be joined in the new Central Division by six teams that joined the League or started in their current city in the 1990s or later (TBL: 1992- 93; DAL: 1993-94; FLA: 1993-94; AUTO: 1997-98; NSH: 1998-99; CBJ: 2000-01).
* Dallas shares a history of division connections with Detroit, playing against them for 12 seasons (1981-82-1992-93) in the Norris Division as the Minnesota North Stars, before moving to Texas from 1993-94 to 1997 for an additional five campaigns . 98 – combine for all five division titles in that series.
* The Lightning contested their first season (1992-93) in the Norris Division, with the Blackhawks, Red Wings and North Stars.
* Columbus returns to the Central Division, where it participated in each of the first 12 seasons (2000-01-2012-13). The Blue Jackets had the Blackhawks, Predators and Red Wings as intradivisional opponents during that period.
* The Hurricanes, Lightning and Panthers were together in the Southeast Division for 14 seasons (1998-99-201213). Before moving to Raleigh, the Hartford Whalers played their first two NHL seasons in the Norris Division near Detroit (1979-80-1980-81).
* Tampa Bay and Dallas become the first teams in 40 years to compete in the same division in the season after meeting in the Stanley Cup Final (1980-81: NYI vs. PHI in Patrick Division).
EAST DIVISION
Boston and Buffalo will be intradivisional opponents for a 50th consecutive season dating back to 1970-71, the longest such active streak in the NHL.
* The Rangers and Islanders are in the same division for the 48th consecutive season since the last entered 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 a 46th consecutive campaign dating back to 1974-75, while the Devils, Flyers, Islanders and Rangers join the same division for a 38th consecutive season since 1982-83.
* The Bruins and Rangers play in the same division for the 20th time in their storied history, but for the first time in nearly 50 years. The original six rivals were together in the US Division for each of New York’s first 12 seasons (1926-27-1937-38) and in the original East Division for the first seven campaigns of the League’s expansionary era (1967-68). -1973-) 74).
* New York’s intrastate rivalry puts the Sabers, Rangers and Islanders all in the same division for the first time in nearly 50 years. Buffalo played each of the first four NHL seasons in the original East Division, with the Rangers for all four (1970-71-1973-74) and with the Islanders for two (1972-73-1973-74).
* Intrastate rivals Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will be in the same division for a 22nd consecutive season and 41st overall since joining the NHL 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 with several ’70s playoff fights between the’ Big Bad Bruins’ and ‘Broad Street Bullies’, including a meeting in the 1974 Stanley Cup final, and, more recently, a 2010 Winter Classic showdown and historic playoff series.
* The Bruins (2019-20, 2013-14), Capitals (2016-17, 2015-16) and Rangers (2014-15) have combined five of the last seven Presidents’ Trophy victories.