For the first time in six years, the Avalanche will begin an NHL season away from home.
The Avs will start the 2023-24 campaign on a three-game West Coast road swing, with opening night Oct. 11 (8 p.m. MT) at the Los Angeles Kings, followed by games in San Jose and Seattle.
That means an early return to the hostile environment where Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar faced boos for the first time in his life during the 2022 playoffs. The Kraken eliminated the Avs in seven games.
Colorado’s home opener is Oct. 19 (8:30 p.m. MT) vs. Chicago, making this the second consecutive season the Blackhawks have been the Avalanche’s opponent on opening night at Ball Arena. This time, Connor Bedard is likely to be part of the proceedings, assuming Chicago picks him No. 1 in the NHL draft Wednesday.
The Avs griped to the league about the 2022-23 schedule, which included a November overseas trip immediately after a short offseason that players said threw them out of a rhythm. Colorado was also upset about playing 13 back-to-backs last season, with the opponent rested for nine of them. This year, the Avalanche will only play eight back-to-backs, which ties for the fewest in a season since the team relocated to Denver in 1995.
Colorado will face a five-game road trip in January and a six-game road trip in February coming out of the All-Star break. In 2022-23, the longest stretch of consecutive true road games was four.
But the Avs will end the season with four of the last five games at home, facing a division gauntlet of Dallas, Minnesota and Winnipeg before traveling to Vegas then ending at home vs. Edmonton on April 18.
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