Five Canadian NHL teams set to open 48-game regular season Saturday
2013-01-12 23:16:00
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Five Canadian teams will be on the ice when the lockout-shortened NHL season starts next Saturday.
The Winnipeg Jets host the Ottawa Senators in one of three afternoon games, that also include the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens in the evening, while the Vancouver Canucks open the season at home to Anaheim.
On Jan. 20, the Calgary Flames host San Jose in their season debut, and the Edmonton Oilers kick off their 48-game schedule with a game in Vancouver.
The teams will play only inside their own conference in the regular season, wiping out any possibility of a Cup rematch between the Kings and New Jersey Devils.
A total of 13 games are set for Day 1 of the regular season that ends April 27. The playoffs start April 30, and hockey's last day will be June 28 if the Cup final goes seven games.
The NHL released the schedule shortly after the league and players' association signed a memorandum of understanding that finalized the new labour deal agreed to last weekend and ended the 119-day lockout.
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"Last year we came in as maybe an underdog, quietly. Got off to the right start just because teams weren't really ready for us. But this time around that's not the case. They realize we are a good team and they're ready to go against us, right off the get-go."
- Los Angeles' Colin Fraser. The Kings have lost two in a row and are now tied 2-2 in their series against the San Jose Sharks.
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