The National Hockey League schedule release in the summer is kind of like Christmas for hockey fans. We can sit down and plan out the next eight months of our social lives around key matchups. We can purchase ticket plans and organize road game watching parties.
After the announcement that the NHL will have its players competing in the winter Olympics in Sochi next February, the full schedule for all 30 teams was released. You can download the full Dallas Stars schedule in all its glory at the bottom of the story below. The break for the Olympics will run from February 9, 2014 to February 25, 2014.
The Stars will start the season at home versus the Florida Panthers on October 3rd. The first road games of the season will be a back-to-back set, when they travel to met new division opponents the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, October 11th and then the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, October 12th. Other games you may want to circle on the calendar:
Tuesday, November 5th - Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley will face the Boston Bruins in Boston for the first time since they were traded. (Boston visits the Stars at home on Thursday, January 16th.)
Saturday, November 9th - defending Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks pay their first visit to the AAC
Thursday, November 21st - Brad Richards and the New York Rangers come to town for the first time in over a year
New Years Eve will see the Stars host the Los Angeles Kings at the AAC in their long-standing tradition of games at home that night.
Saturday, December 4th - the Detroit Red Wings' one and only appearance on Stars home ice this season, as they move to the Eastern conference
As the Stars stated earlier this summer, Mike Modano's jersey retirement will occur on Saturday, March 8th versus the Minnesota Wild. We'll have more details about the group we are organizing for this game soon, so be on the lookout for that. It will be the only way you're likely to see the Modano jersey retirement game, as the Stars are expecting a sold-out crowd.
Of the 41 home games this season, 10 of them will be on Saturdays at the AAC. In a fun quirk in scheduling, there are no home games on Wednesdays this year. January will be the month to make your travel plans to visit Dallas, as the Stars host 10 games in that month (the most in any month of the season.) There will be 13 sets of back-to-backs this season.
Also new this season is the fact that all 29 other teams will come through Dallas, and that divisional road games will start at a reasonable 7-8 PM CT instead of the 9:30 PM CT starts when the Stars resided in the Pacific division. Peace out, Pacific!
Here is the official release from the Dallas Stars and the full schedule:
FRISCO, Texas - The Dallas Stars will open the 2013-14 National Hockey League regular season with a two-game homestand, commencing Thursday, October 3 against the Florida Panthers, which is followed by a game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday, October 5. The Stars will open the road portion of their schedule with a three-game road trip from October 11-15.
List view of schedule
Calendar view of schedule
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE STARS' 82-GAME SCHEDULE
The Stars are scheduled to play 82 games during the 2013-14 campaign, with 41 contests at home and 41 on the road. The NHL approved a new realignment and division-based playoff format in March that placed Dallas in a more geographically friendly division. As part of the new realignment plan, Dallas will now be in a division with Chicago, Colorado, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg. Dallas' placement in the new division means that most divisional road games will now start between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., changing from the 9:00 p.m.-or-later start times that were common in the past.
The Stars schedule breaks down in the following format:
vs. Division Opponents (29 Games):
Five games vs. five teams (3 home/2 away vs. three teams; 2 home/3 away vs. two teams).
Four games vs. one team (2 home/2 away) with teams rotated on a yearly basis.
vs. Western Conference Opponents (non-division, 21 Games):
The Stars will play their other non-division Western Conference opponents 21 times (Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver), facing off against each club three times (2 home/1 away vs. three teams; 1 home/2 away vs. four teams).
In total, Dallas plays 50 games against their Western Conference foes.
vs. Eastern Conference Opponents (32 Games):
Also new for 2013-14, the Stars will now faceoff against Eastern Conference teams two times each season (1 home/1 away), ensuring that every team will play in every building at least once this season.
In total, Dallas plays 32 games against their Eastern Conference opponents.
The home portion of the schedule features 19 weekend contests (6 Friday, 10 Saturday, 3 Sunday).
The Stars longest homestand of the season is five games, which happens on two separate occasions. The first is from from Dec. 27 to Jan. 4 against Nashville (27th), St. Louis (29th), Los Angeles (31st), Montreal (2nd) and Detroit (4th); the second five-game homestand is from Jan. 21-30 against Minnesota (21st), Toronto (23rd), Pittsburgh (25th), Colorado (27th) and New Jersey (30th).
Dallas' longest road trip of the season spans five games, from March 29 to April 6 versus St. Louis (29th), Washington (1st), Carolina (3rd), Tampa Bay (5th) and Florida (6th).
Dallas concludes the home portion of their schedule on Friday, April 11 against St. Louis. The club ends the regular season on Sunday, April 13 against the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona.
Winter Olympic Game Break
The NHL season will pause from Sunday, Feb. 9 to Tuesday, Feb. 25 as part of the NHL and NHLPA's involvement in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Dallas' final game before the break is on Saturday, Feb. 8 at home against the Phoenix Coyotes. The club will return to action at home on Thursday, Feb. 27 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
STARS SCHEDULE NOTES
Home Games by Day: Mon. - 4, Tues. - 7, Wed. - 0, Thurs. - 11, Fri. - 6, Sat. - 10, Sun - 3
Road Games by Day: Mon. - 5, Tues. - 10, Wed. - 2, Thurs. - 7, Fri. - 2, Sat. - 9, Sun - 6
Home Games by Month: Oct. - 5, Nov. - 5, Dec. - 8, Jan. - 10, Feb. - 2, Mar. - 9, Apr. - 2
Road Games by Month: Oct. - 7, Nov. - 7, Dec. - 7, Jan. - 5, Feb. - 3, Mar. - 7, Apr. - 5
Opponents' Visits to Dallas (41)
Anaheim-1, Boston-1, Buffalo-1, Calgary-2, Carolina-1, Chicago-3, Colorado-3, Columbus-1, Detroit-1, Edmonton-2, Florida-1, Los Angeles-1, Minnesota-2, Montreal-1, Nashville-3, New Jersey-1, NY Islanders-1, NY Rangers-1, Ottawa-1, Philadelphia-1, Phoenix-1, Pittsburgh-1, St. Louis-2, San Jose-1, Tampa Bay-1, Toronto-1, Vancouver-2, Washington-1, Winnipeg-2.
Stars' Visits to Road Cities (41)
Anaheim-2, Boston-1, Buffalo-1, Calgary-1, Carolina-1, Chicago-2, Colorado-2, Columbus-1, Detroit-1, Edmonton-1, Florida-1, Los Angeles-2, Minnesota-2, Montreal-1, Nashville-2, New Jersey-1, NY Islanders-1, NY Rangers-1, Ottawa-1, Philadelphia-1, Phoenix-2, Pittsburgh-1, St. Louis-3, San Jose-2, Tampa Bay-1, Toronto-1, Vancouver-1, Washington-1, Winnipeg-3.
1st Half/2nd Half
The Stars will play 20 of their first 41 games at home, while finishing the second half with 21 of the final 41 games at home.
Back-to-Back Series
Overall: 13 sets (26 games total)
Back-to-back games at home: 6 Back-to-back games on the road: 20
Road game followed by home game next day: 2
Home game followed by road game next day: 4
Home game followed by home game next day: 0
Road game followed by road game next day: 7
Date
Visitor
Home
Time (CT)
TV Network/Results
Thu Oct 3, 2013
Panthers
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Oct 5, 2013
Capitals
Stars
7:00 PM
Fri Oct 11, 2013
Stars
Jets
7:00 PM
Sat Oct 12, 2013
Stars
Wild
7:00 PM
Tue Oct 15, 2013
Stars
Avalanche
8:00 PM
Thu Oct 17, 2013
Sharks
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Oct 19, 2013
Stars
Kings
9:30 PM
Sun Oct 20, 2013
Stars
Ducks
7:00 PM
Thu Oct 24, 2013
Flames
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Oct 26, 2013
Jets
Stars
6:00 PM
CBC
Mon Oct 28, 2013
Stars
Sabres
6:00 PM
Tue Oct 29, 2013
Stars
Canadiens
6:00 PM
RDS
Fri Nov 1, 2013
Avalanche
Stars
7:30 PM
Sun Nov 3, 2013
Stars
Senators
12:00 PM
Tue Nov 5, 2013
Stars
Bruins
6:00 PM
Thu Nov 7, 2013
Stars
Red Wings
6:30 PM
Sat Nov 9, 2013
Blackhawks
Stars
7:00 PM
Wed Nov 13, 2013
Stars
Oilers
9:00 PM
Thu Nov 14, 2013
Stars
Flames
8:00 PM
Sun Nov 17, 2013
Stars
Canucks
7:00 PM
Thu Nov 21, 2013
Rangers
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Nov 23, 2013
Stars
Blues
7:00 PM
Tue Nov 26, 2013
Ducks
Stars
7:00 PM
NBCSN
Fri Nov 29, 2013
Blackhawks
Stars
7:30 PM
NHLN-US
Sun Dec 1, 2013
Oilers
Stars
5:00 PM
Tue Dec 3, 2013
Stars
Blackhawks
7:00 PM
NBCSN
Thu Dec 5, 2013
Stars
Maple Leafs
6:00 PM
Sat Dec 7, 2013
Flyers
Stars
7:00 PM
Tue Dec 10, 2013
Blackhawks
Stars
7:30 PM
Thu Dec 12, 2013
Stars
Predators
7:00 PM
Sat Dec 14, 2013
Stars
Jets
2:00 PM
CBC
Mon Dec 16, 2013
Stars
Avalanche
8:00 PM
Tue Dec 17, 2013
Avalanche
Stars
7:30 PM
Thu Dec 19, 2013
Canucks
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Dec 21, 2013
Stars
Sharks
9:30 PM
Mon Dec 23, 2013
Stars
Kings
9:30 PM
Fri Dec 27, 2013
Predators
Stars
7:30 PM
Sun Dec 29, 2013
Blues
Stars
5:00 PM
Tue Dec 31, 2013
Kings
Stars
7:00 PM
Thu Jan 2, 2014
Canadiens
Stars
7:30 PM
RDS
Sat Jan 4, 2014
Red Wings
Stars
7:00 PM
Mon Jan 6, 2014
Stars
Islanders
6:00 PM
Thu Jan 9, 2014
Stars
Devils
6:00 PM
Fri Jan 10, 2014
Stars
Rangers
6:00 PM
Sun Jan 12, 2014
Islanders
Stars
5:00 PM
Tue Jan 14, 2014
Oilers
Stars
7:30 PM
Thu Jan 16, 2014
Bruins
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Jan 18, 2014
Stars
Wild
8:00 PM
Mon Jan 20, 2014
Stars
Predators
7:00 PM
Tue Jan 21, 2014
Wild
Stars
7:00 PM
NBCSN
Thu Jan 23, 2014
Maple Leafs
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Jan 25, 2014
Penguins
Stars
7:00 PM
Mon Jan 27, 2014
Avalanche
Stars
7:30 PM
Thu Jan 30, 2014
Devils
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Feb 1, 2014
Stars
Ducks
9:00 PM
Tue Feb 4, 2014
Stars
Coyotes
8:00 PM
Wed Feb 5, 2014
Stars
Sharks
9:30 PM
Sat Feb 8, 2014
Coyotes
Stars
7:00 PM
Thu Feb 27, 2014
Hurricanes
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Mar 1, 2014
Lightning
Stars
2:00 PM
Mon Mar 3, 2014
Sabres
Stars
7:00 PM
NBCSN
Tue Mar 4, 2014
Stars
Blue Jackets
6:00 PM
Thu Mar 6, 2014
Canucks
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Mar 8, 2014
Wild
Stars
7:30 PM
NHLN-US
Mon Mar 10, 2014
Blue Jackets
Stars
7:30 PM
Tue Mar 11, 2014
Stars
Blues
7:00 PM
Fri Mar 14, 2014
Flames
Stars
7:30 PM
Sun Mar 16, 2014
Stars
Jets
7:00 PM
Tue Mar 18, 2014
Stars
Penguins
6:00 PM
Thu Mar 20, 2014
Stars
Flyers
6:00 PM
Sat Mar 22, 2014
Senators
Stars
2:00 PM
Mon Mar 24, 2014
Jets
Stars
7:30 PM
Tue Mar 25, 2014
Stars
Blackhawks
7:00 PM
Fri Mar 28, 2014
Predators
Stars
7:30 PM
Sat Mar 29, 2014
Stars
Blues
7:00 PM
Tue Apr 1, 2014
Stars
Capitals
6:00 PM
Thu Apr 3, 2014
Stars
Hurricanes
6:00 PM
Sat Apr 5, 2014
Stars
Lightning
6:00 PM
Sun Apr 6, 2014
Stars
Panthers
4:00 PM
Tue Apr 8, 2014
Predators
Stars
7:30 PM
Fri Apr 11, 2014
Blues
Stars
7:30 PM
Sun Apr 13, 2014
Stars
Coyotes
8:00 PM