Fans will be looking for a lot of this in the first few weeks. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Thanks to a picture of a leaked schedule that found its way to the internet over Friday and Saturday, fans were not surprised when the Chicago Blackhawks’ official schedule was released late Saturday night.
The Blackhawks will kick off their shortened season on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 19th. The scene will be familiar to the Blackhawks, as it will be the day the Kings will raise their championship banner to the rafters of Staples Center. That game will broadcast on NBC at 3 p.m. Eastern.
For those who won’t be able to get Center Ice or Gamecenter, the Hawks will be on national television 17 times during their 48-game run, including four appearances on NHL Network. They’ll grace NBC Sports Network 11 times, beginning with their second game of the season on the 20th against the Phoenix Coyotes. It will be the first time the two teams have met since the playoffs. Raffi Torres will not be playing in that game because he’ll be serving the remainder of his 21-game suspension. His first game back? That will be against the Blackhawks on February 7.
After they open the season with 10 of their first 12 games on the road, the Hawks will have a seven-game home stand over 13 days in February. They’ll also play back-to-back games six times over the season, including their last two at home against the Calgary Flames on April 26 and on the road against the St. Louis Blues on the 27th.
It’s going to be a tough schedule, and the team will rack up a lot of frequent flyer miles. Hopefully they can cash those in during the playoffs.
