Hockey will return in just over a month. The NHL today announced their preseason schedule which starts with a game between the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings on September 16th. That same match-up will play again in China just five days later, for the first NHL game ever played in the country.
The schedule includes 109 games overall, spread out over 16 days. The Canucks seem to be at the center of everything, as they’ll also host the Vegas Golden Knights’ first ever preseason game on September 17th. Vegas will also be part of the last game before the regular season, hosting the San Jose Sharks on October 1st.
The regular season kicks off three days later on October 4th, with four games including the Stanley Cup banner being raised in Pittsburgh when the Penguins take on the St. Louis Blues.
The full preseason schedule can be found below (all times EST):
SATURDAY, SEPT. 16
Vancouver at Los Angeles, 5 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 17
NY Islanders vs. Philadelphia, at Uniondale, N.Y. (NYCB Live), 1 p.m.
Las Vegas at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 18
Boston vs. Montreal, at Quebec City, Que. (Centre Videotron), 7 p.m.
Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Washington at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Calgary (split-squad) at Edmonton (split-squad), 9 p.m.
Edmonton (split-squad) at Calgary (split-squad), 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Arizona, 10 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 19
Florida at Nashville (split-squad doubleheader), 4:30 and 8 p.m.
Detroit at Boston, 7 p.m.
Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, at State College, Pa. (Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State), 7 p.m.
Chicago at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Las Vegas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20
Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia (split squad) at NY Islanders (split squad), 7 p.m.
Philadelphia (split squad) vs. NY Islanders (split squad), at Allentown, Pa. (PPL Center), 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Columbus at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Arizona at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 21
Los Angeles vs. Vancouver, at Shanghai, China (Mercedes-Benz Arena), 7:30 a.m.
Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Winnipeg at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Las Vegas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 22
St. Louis at Washington, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Toronto (Ricoh Coliseum), 7:30 p.m.
NY Islanders vs. NY Rangers, at Bridgeport, Conn. (Webster Bank Arena), 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Arizona at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 23
Los Angeles vs. Vancouver, at Beijing, China (Wukesong Arena), 3:30 a.m.
Colorado at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m.
Boston at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Columbus at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Arizona, 9 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 24
Nashville at Columbus, 3 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.
Minnesota at Colorado, 7 p.m.
Las Vegas at Anaheim, 8 p.m.
Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis, at Cranberry Township, Pa. (UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex), 8 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 25
New Jersey (split squad) vs. Ottawa, at Summerside, P.E.I. (Credit Union Place), 6 p.m.
New Jersey (split squad) at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Boston, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Montreal at Toronto (Ricoh Coliseum), 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Carolina at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Anaheim vs. Arizona, at Tucson, Ariz. (Tucson Arena), 10 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 26
NY Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Las Vegas, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27
Montreal vs. Toronto, at Quebec City, Que. (Centre Videotron), 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Washington, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Carolina vs. Edmonton, at Saskatoon, Sask. (SaskTel Centre), 8 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 28
Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Columbus at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Minnesota vs. St. Louis, at Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center), 8 p.m.
Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Colorado at Las Vegas, 10 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Arizona at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 29
Florida at Montreal, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Washington at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30
Columbus at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.
Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Toronto (Ricoh Coliseum), 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Boston at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Winnipeg at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Arizona at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 1
Washington at St. Louis, 3 p.m.
NY Islanders at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
San Jose at Las Vegas, 8 p.m.
China really?? Kings and Canucks players who are on the other pre season squad luck out
Pens banner raising vs…the St. Louis Blues???
Imagine if the NFL opened the season with Patriots vs. Jaguars…that’s what the NHL is doing here. It just makes no sense.