While details still need to be sorted out within Canada about where each team will be able to play, we now know where the NHL hopes everyone plays when the puck drops for the 2020-21 season on Jan. 13.
The league released its full 56-game schedule for every team on Wednesday, and it’s all supposed to wrap up on Saturday, May 8, with the playoffs starting a few days later. There is a minimum of one game every night between the start and end of the season, and there will be more than that played on every night but four.
We know that the opening night plan is to feature five games: Toronto-Montreal, Edmonton-Vancouver, Colorado-St. Louis, Pittsburgh-Philadelphia, and Chicago-Tampa Bay, where the defending champion Lightning will raise their banner.
Every game this season will, of course, be played only within the realigned divisions, which are as follows:
Central: Carolina-Chicago-Columbus-Detroit-Florida-Dallas-Nashville-Tampa Bay
West: Anaheim-Arizona-Colorado-Minnesota-Los Angeles-Vegas-San Jose-St. Louis
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs. The first two rounds will be best-of-7 series to play out of your division, leaving one “champion” from each grouping. Those teams will be re-seeded from 1-4 based on regular season points, and then a best-of-7 semifinal will lead to a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final. The Eastern and Western Conferences are of no consequence this season.
The 2021 schedule is also unlike any we’ve seen before. Here are some things you should know about how it looks:
To limit travel between cities, when a visitor comes in they aren’t only there for one game. You’ll see a lot of two-game road trips now, but not necessarily on back-to-back nights. Having two games in three days will be a regular occurrence.
And, in fact, there are a number of situations where one team will fly into a city for a two-game series, then fly home and play that same team twice more for a four-game home-and-home.
This idea of a “baseball-style” schedule had been assumed for some time. In Major League Baseball, it is normal to play the same team three or four days in a row to get a 162-game season in over the summer. The NHL doesn’t have quite that much of a crunch, but has aligned the schedule in such a way that the same teams will play against one another for four games in a row on occasion. Anaheim and Los Angeles find themselves against each other five times in a row from April 20-May 1.
There are a few instances where the same teams will play each other three times in a row, and in the same destination. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 4, 6 and 8, and Ottawa on Feb. 15, 17 and 18. Similarly, Vancouver will host Calgary on Feb. 11, 13 and 15, Montreal will host Edmonton on March 22, 24 and 26, and Calgary hosts Winnipeg on March 26, 27 and 29.
CANADIAN TEAMS FACING EACH OTHER 10 TIMES
In a 56-game schedule for a seven-team division, the games can’t completely be split evenly. Each team will matchup against four of its divisional rivals nine times, and will face the other two rivals 10 times.
The NHL did a great job making sure all the best rivalries are given to us the most.
Here is the breakdown of how often each Canadian Division team will play against one another:
vs. The first all-Canadian division in NHL history is set to deliver more than triple the number of all-Canadian matchups versus the usual 82-game schedule (196 in 2020-21 vs. 58 scheduled in 2019-20).#NHLStats: https://t.co/hkOXa1areipic.twitter.com/UVa2hnNkuJ
Due to local health regulations, the San Jose Sharks won’t be able to access SAP Center for the next while, and will host their training camp at the Ice Den in Scottsdale, Ariz. It’s too early to tell when they’d be allowed back into their home arena again, and the NHL built more time for that to get sorted into the Sharks’ schedule by starting them on an eight-game road trip.
But the won’t begin far from where they’re doing training camp, playing in Arizona against the Coyotes for the first two games. From there, the Sharks will go to St. Louis, Minnesota and Colorado — playing each of them twice — before their first home game shows up on Feb. 1 against Vegas.
In all, twelve of San Jose’s first 14 games are on the road, and their second home series isn’t scheduled until Feb. 13. Hopefully by either of those dates it will be safe enough to play in Santa Clara county. If not, though, the Sharks are considering backup plans.
“There’s a couple potential options that we’ve been exploring, just like we were exploring for training camp,” GM Doug Wilson said earlier this week. “Could be a hub city. Could be us playing in another NHL city for a while.”
BACK-TO-BACK SITUATIONS
The dreaded games on back-to-back days. In this compact schedule, fatigue will be a factor when you’re averaging one game roughly every other day. So each team’s back-to-back situation is of note, especially since it’ll be harder to start the same goalie for each one.
The Sharks lead the way with the most back-to-back situations, a total of 12 on the season. Edmonton and Ottawa have the most in the Canadian division with 11 each, while Vancouver has the least among the Canadian clubs with just seven. The fewest back-to-back situations of any team in the league are the six for Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers.
Via Sportsnet Stats, here is the full breakdown of back-to-backs:
San Jose: 12 Ottawa: 11 Edmonton: 11 Montreal: 10 Toronto: 10 Calgary: 10 Nashville: 10 Carolina: 10 St. Louis: 10 Los Angeles: 10 Winnipeg: 9 Minnesota: 9 Arizona: 9 Anaheim: 9 Columbus: 8 Detroit: 8 Boston: 8 Buffalo: 8 NY Islanders: 8 Philadelphia: 8 Vegas: 8 Washington: 8 Vancouver: 7 Florida: 7 Chicago: 7 Dallas: 7 New Jersey: 7 Colorado: 7 Tampa Bay: 6 NY Rangers: 6 Pittsburgh: 6
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GAMES ON LAST TWO SATURDAYS
In a 31-team league, the most games you can have on one day is, of course, 15. Over the course of this coming season, that doesn’t happen as much as you may think, but the two times we will get treated to max hockey land is right in the thick of playoff hunt.
If all goes according to plan, Saturday May 1 and 8 will be the only two days where 15 games will occur around the league. Those are the last two Saturdays of the regular season, and May 8 is the final day of the regular season.
Hockey Night in Canada was already circled on your calendar, but maybe circle these last two again and again. Playoff spots will be on the line and those last two Saturdays will include matchups like Toronto-Vancouver and Toronto-Montreal, Edmonton-Calgary on both days, Pittsburgh-Washington, Boston-NY Rangers, and Philadelphia-Washington.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
