The Blackhawks’ 2021-22 regular-season schedule was released Thursday.
The Hawks will play a full 82-game slate, with 41 home games at the United Center and at least one home and away game against every other NHL team, in a refreshing return to normalcy.
The season begins Oct. 13 on the road against the Avalanche, the start of a three-game road trip that includes visits to the Devils and Penguins. The Hawks then begin a four-game homestand, starting with the Oct. 19 home opener against the Islanders.
The schedule includes a break from Feb. 3-24 for the All-Star Weekend and Winter Olympics, but NHL Olympic participation is not yet certain. A second version of the schedule without an Olympic break was also distributed to teams Thursday but not made public, Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said.
As a result of the February break, the regular season will run longer than usual: through the end of April. The Hawks’ home finale will be Apr. 27 against the Golden Knights; their season finale will be Apr. 29 at the Sabres.
The Hawks will face the expansion Kraken for the first time Nov. 17 in Seattle and host them for the first time Apr. 7. Rivalry home games include Oct. 24 against the Red Wings and Nov. 26 and Feb. 27 against the Blues. Holiday dates include hosting the Stars on Dec. 23 and visiting the Predators on Jan. 1.
The Coyotes will join the Central Division this season because of the Kraken’s addition to the Pacific Division. The Hawks will face every Central team four times except for the Stars and Jets (three meetings each), every Pacific team three times and every Atlantic and Metropolitan team twice.
The Hawks will also play a six-game preseason schedule from Sept. 29 to Oct. 9.
A full calendar of the schedule can be seen below:
