2022-23 NHL schedule takeaways: What to watch for and games you can't miss

play

The NHL's 2022-23 schedule has dropped and fans are already planning their road trips.

Here are some of the things that stand out in the new schedule.

Return to normalcy ... almost

The NHL is expecting to play a full season for the first time in a long time. The league built in a pause for about three weeks after the All-Star break in order to accommodate players who were participating in the Winter Olympics, but it didn't happen because of safety concerns. The NHL's All-Star weekend will be held in February this year.

The last day of the regular season was May 1 last year.

There is a quirk to the schedule when it comes to the Winter Classic. The New Year's Day game between the Bruins and the Pens will be played on January 2nd. New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. It will not be played on New Year's Day for the third year in a row.

Panic! At The Cup Celebration

The NHL likes to start its season with the Stanley Cup champion raising their newest banner, just as the Lightning did in their first season in 1992. The Colorado Avalanche will not raise their banner in October because their home is booked for a concert. There is a concert at the disco. The Avs will celebrate their first Stanley Cup in 13 years before their game against the Hawks. This is a good time to make a toast. The champagne should be poured.

The second game of the Stanley Cup Final will be played on February 9th.

Thanksgiving Eve and Season-Ending Chaos

There are two NHL traditions that will continue this season. The NHL has 15 games before the Thanksgiving holiday. The LA Kings and Bolts aren't in action on Turkey Day.

The times are all in the Eastern time zone.

• The St. Louis at Buffalo game is tonight.

• The Boston at Florida game is tonight.

• The Toronto at New Jersey game is tonight.

• The Flames play the Pirates at 7 p.m.

• The Philadelphia at Washington game is tonight.

• The Arizona at Carolina game is tonight.

• The Montreal at Columbus game is tonight.

• The game is at Minnesota.

• The Nashville at Detroit game is tonight.

• The N.Y. Islanders are playing the Eskimos.

• The Chicago and Dallas games will be played at the same time.

• The game is at Colorado.

• The game is at Vegas.

• The Rangers are at Anaheim.

• The San Jose at Seattle game is tonight.

On April 13, there are 12 games between divisional rivals, which could add up to major playoff implications.

Friday, April 14.

• The game is at Buffalo.

• The Boston at Montreal game is tonight.

• The Detroit atTampa Bay game is tonight.

• The Carolina at Florida game is tonight.

• Toronto plays the New York Rangers.

• The New Jersey at Washington game is tonight.

• Pittsburgh and Columbus are playing at 7pm.

• The Minnesota at Nashville game is tonight.

• The Philadelphia and Chicago games will be played at the same time.

• The Dallas at St. Louis game will be played on Thursday, October 13th.

• The game is at Colorado.

• The San Jose Earthquakes are at the Eskimos.

• There is a game at 10 pm.

• The Los Angeles at Anaheim game is tonight.

• 10 p.m. Vegas at Seattle

Especially in the Pacific division.

Coyotes' freshmen orientation

The Arizona Coyotes will play at a new arena on the campus of Arizona State University for at least the next three seasons as they look for a new arena in Tempe.

The 2022-23 season may have to be started on a lengthy road trip while work is done on the new arena at Arizona State. The New York Islanders had to play 13 games on the road in order to start the season at their new arena.

The team isn't starting the season with a long road trip, but they are close to home for the first two months of the season. They play four straight at Arizona State after their home opener against the Jets. After a 14-game road trip that will take them from the East Coast to Vegas to the mid-Atlantic back to the West Coast, the Coyotes will return to the West Coast.

The next home game is against Boston in December.

Things do balance out. Nineteen of the last 26 games of the season are on campus.

The games you can't miss

The Dallas at Vegas game is on January 16th. Time.

It's the Pete DeBoer Revenge Tour, as the fired Golden Knights coach leads his new team against a conference rival and his former players.