Jets to face Panthers, Kings in first homestand, open on road

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This article was published 28/06/2023 (829 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE roster of the Winnipeg Jets remains a work in progress to say the least, but the team has firm dates, times and opponents for the upcoming NHL season.

The 82-game schedule was released league wide Tuesday afternoon.

Winnipeg will kick off the 2023-24 campaign in enemy territory, facing the Calgary Flames on Wednesday Oct. 11. It’s a quick one-game trip, with the team flying back to town to play three consecutive contests on home ice.

And what a first homestand it looks to be.

First up is old friend Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers, fresh off going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. They’ll face off in a matinee on Saturday Oct. 14, with puck drop at the downtown rink set for 3 p.m.

That will be followed by Pierre-Luc Dubois and the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday Oct. 17. The league’s schedule makers clearly have a good sense of anticipation, given the Dubois trade wasn’t officially completed until after the hockey calendar was released.

Last, but certainly not least, is the arch-rival Vegas Golden Knights, who just eliminated Winnipeg in the first round of the playoffs in April and eventually went on to capture their first championship in franchise history. They’ll meet on Thursday Oct. 19.

Winnipeg’s longest stretch of home games is five, which will happen on two occasions (Nov. 9-18 and March 26-Apr. 4). The longest road trip is also five games, between March 17-24.

The final road game of the year will happen in Denver on Apr. 13 against the Colorado Avalanche. The Jets will then close out the regular season against the Seattle Kraken (Apr. 16) and Vancouver Canucks (Apr. 18).

One unique scheduling quirk will happen on Tuesday Oct. 24, when all 32 NHL teams are in action. Games that night will be staggered starts, with 15 to 30 minutes in between. Winnipeg will host the St. Louis Blues, with a 7:45 p.m. puck drop.

Other notable games include the annual visits from the Montreal Canadiens (Monday, Dec. 18) and Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, Jan. 27), and a pair of contests against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers (Thursday, Nov. 30 and Tuesday, March 26).

And phenom Connor Bedard, expected to the first-overall pick on Wednesday night by the Chicago Blackhawks, will make his first NHL visit to Winnipeg on Saturday, Dec. 2 for a 2 p.m. start. He’ll be back for a second time on Thursday, Jan. 11.

True North has announced a number of speciality games for the coming season, including ones honouring various cultures such as South Asian Heritage Night (Saturday, Dec. 16 vs Colorado), Filpino Heritage Night (Saturday, Jan. 13 vs Philadelphia), Black History Game (Tuesday, Feb. 20 vs Minnesota) and WASAC Night (Sunday, Feb. 25 vs Arizona), and ones honouring various causes including a Child Advocacy Game (Tuesday, Oct. 24 vs St. Louis), Pride Night (Friday, Nov. 17 vs Buffalo), Hockey Fights Cancer Night (Tuesday, Nov. 28 vs Dallas), Canadian Armed Forces Night (Saturday, Dec. 2 vs Chicago), #HockeyTalks Game (Tuesday, Jan. 16 vs New York Islanders) and Celebrating Women In Sport (Tuesday, March 5 vs Seattle).

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg