Last Friday word broke that the NHL and NHLPA had come to terms on the upcoming season and on Sunday we learned about the relevant dates for the 2020-21 season (and beyond) as well as the rules regarding the taxi squad. Today the league released the schedule and here is how it will look for the Winnipeg Jets in the All-Canadian division.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
The Jets and Flames rivalry, which kicked off in the play-in series last season, will be renewed as those two clubs will kick off their respective seasons here in Winnipeg for the season opener. They will also play four times in a row (three times in Winnipeg and once in Calgary) in February which should make for quite a mini-series.
Here is the Jets Press Release:
The NHL has realigned their divisions for the 2020-21 season and the Jets will play in the North Division against the six other Canadian teams. Winnipeg will face the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs 10 times each and they will play the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, and Vancouver Canucks nine times.
The Jets are scheduled to open the season at Bell MTS Place on Thursday, Jan. 14 against the Calgary Flames. The Jets then travel to Ontario for a three-game road trip opening against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, Jan. 18 before playing a pair of games against the Ottawa Senators.
The longest homestand of the season spans seven games from Jan. 23-Feb. 4. The Jets’ longest road trip of the season is also seven games when they play the three Western Canadian teams (two against Edmonton, two against Vancouver, and three against Calgary) from Mar. 18-29.
Saturday is the busiest day for Winnipeg, with the team playing 12 times, including all four Saturdays in March. March is the busiest month, with the Jets playing 16 games in 31 days.
Winnipeg plays nine back-to-backs this season. Five of the back-to-backs feature a pair of home games, three are consecutive games on the road, and on Mar. 17-18 they will play the first game at home and the second on the road.
The Jets play the same opponent four times in a row when they face the Flames three times at Bell MTS Place and then once in Calgary from Feb. 1-9. Winnipeg also plays the same team in three consecutive games on four occasions – Jan. 19-23 against Ottawa, Mar. 9-13 on the road against Toronto, Mar. 26-29 on the road against Calgary, and Apr. 21-24 at home versus the Maple Leafs. Winnipeg will play the same opponent twice in a row on 16 other occasions as well.
Here is how it looks on a caldendar:
Mark your calendars… or print off ours! ? pic.twitter.com/iLeOQmYqYb
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) December 23, 2020
If all continues as planned three weeks tomorrow the Jets are set to take on the Flames in Winnipeg. The last Jets game in Winnipeg was against the Coyotes on March 9th. I cannot believe it will be almost 10 months between games at Bell MTS Place.
