Obviously the start of a new season is akin to Christmas morning for most hockey fans. It's gonna be a long 72 days.
Thu. Oct 17 - vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
I hate the Penguins and all things Pittsburgh, but it wouldn't be an NHL season without this rivalry. The orange and black play them 5 times this season, so this won't be your only option to see the Pens.
Fri. Nov 1 - vs. Washington Capitals
Many of my friends are Cap fans, by virtue of meeting them at college or based on the fact that their farm team plays in my hometown. For this reason I almost enjoy this rivalry more than the Penguins one. All in all though, Caps fans are classier so the raw hatred isn't quite there that you have with the Pittsburgh rivalry. This should be a fun experiment to watch this season to see if the Capitals can actually play in a real hockey division with real teams.
Sat. Nov 9 - vs. Edmonton Oilers
I wanna see Darnell Nurse and think of what could have been.
Mon. Dec 23 - vs. Minnesota Wild
It's a Monday, but the next day is Christmas Eve, you probably have off. And if you don't, you can go into work hungover, it's cool. Do they expect 100% performance on Christmas Eve? (WARNING: Go into work hungover at your own risk) Plus, 2 days later it's Christmas! This game just feels like the start of good things to come.
Mar. 1 - 15 - vs. Rangers, Caps, Devils, Pittsburgh
Going to be a tough two weeks. This is where the Flyers' mettle will really be tested.
Tues. Mar 18 - vs. Chicago Blackhawks
REMATCH! ...well, sorta.
By: Ben Lebo
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