In the third and perhaps last season of the NHL’s much-criticized post-lockout scheduling format, wunderkind Sidney Crosby – the league’s reigning MVP who turns 20 in August – and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Avalanche in Denver on Nov. 1, and Chris Drury will return to the Pepsi Center with the New York Rangers on Dec. 21.
Those are two of the highlights of the Avalanche’s 2007-08 schedule, which was released Wednesday.
The Atlantic Division’s Penguins, Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers (Dec. 7), New York Islanders (Jan. 5), and New Jersey Devils (March 15) will be the only Eastern Conference teams to appear at the Pepsi Center, while the Avalanche will have road games against the Southeast Division: Washington (Jan. 9), Carolina (Jan. 12), Florida (Jan. 13) and Tampa Bay (Jan. 15) on a single trip before journeying to Atlanta on March 11.
Beyond that, the schedule looks largely familiar under the format that will have the Avalanche facing Northwest Division rivals Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Minnesota eight times, and the other Western Conference teams four times. The only major departure from the past couple of seasons is the Avalanche won’t play any back-to-back games at the same site with divisional opponents.
Colorado opens at home Oct. 3 against the Dallas Stars and is at Nashville the next night to face the Predators.
Detroit’s two appearances in Denver will be Dec. 27 and Feb. 18, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks – who recently signed Todd Bertuzzi as an unrestricted free agent – don’t come to Denver until late in the season, Feb. 12 and March 6.
There are two potentially messy intersections of the Avalanche and Broncos schedules – and it works out that on each day, NFL and NHL teams from the same states are involved. On Oct. 7, the Broncos face the San Diego Chargers at Invesco Field at Mile High at 2:15 p.m. and the Avalanche plays the San Jose Sharks at 6 p.m. On Dec. 9, the Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs game is at 2:15 at Invesco Field and the Avalanche-St. Louis Blues game is at 6 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. On both days, the football game is likely to end about a half-hour before the Avalanche’s scheduled opening faceoff.
The Avalanche also released its six-game exhibition schedule, with home games against Los Angeles (Sept. 19), Dallas (Sept. 25) and Phoenix (Sept. 29).
2007-08 Avs schedule
All times Mountain; subject to change
Oct. 3 Dallas 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Nashville 6 p.m.
Oct. 7 San Jose 6 p.m.
Oct. 12 at St. Louis 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 13 Columbus 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 Calgary 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Chicago 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at Minnesota 4 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Edmonton 7 p.m.
Oct. 26 at Calgary 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 Minnesota 6 p.m.
Nov. 1 Pittsburgh 7 p.m.
Nov. 3 Vancouver 8 p.m.
Nov. 5 Calgary 7 p.m.
Nov. 7 Edmonton 7 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Vancouver 8 p.m.
Nov. 11 Minnesota 6 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Dallas 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 18 at Minnesota 4 p.m.
Nov. 20 at Calgary 7 p.m.
Nov. 22 at Edmonton 7 p.m.
Nov. 24 Calgary 5 p.m.
Nov. 28 Edmonton 7 p.m.
Nov. 30 at San Jose 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 1 at L.A. 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 3 San Jose 7 p.m.
Dec. 5 at Columbus 5 p.m.
Dec. 7 Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Dec. 9 St. Louis 6 p.m.
Dec. 12 at Columbus 5 p.m.
Dec. 13 at Nashville 6 p.m.
Dec. 15 Nashville 7 p.m.
Dec. 17 at L.A. 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Anaheim 8 p.m.
Dec. 21 N.Y. Rangers 7 p.m.
Dec. 23 Vancouver 6 p.m.
Dec. 27 Detroit 7 p.m.
Dec. 29 Los Angeles 1 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Phoenix 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 2 Phoenix 7 p.m.
Jan. 5 N.Y. Islanders 7 p.m.
Jan. 8 at Detroit 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Washington 5 p.m.
Jan. 12 at Carolina 5 p.m.
Jan. 13 at Florida 3 p.m.
Jan. 15 at T. Bay 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 Chicago 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 Columbus 6 p.m.
Jan. 22 Nashville 7 p.m.
Jan. 24 Minnesota 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 Chicago 7 p.m.
Feb. 1 at Detroit 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 at St. Louis 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 4 Phoenix 7 p.m.
Feb. 6 at San Jose 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Vancouver 8 p.m.
Feb. 12 Anaheim 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 St. Louis 7 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Chicago 11 a.m.
Feb. 18 Detroit 6 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Anaheim 8 p.m.
Feb. 22 at Phoenix 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 at Edmonton 6 p.m.
Feb. 26 at Calgary 7 p.m.
Feb. 27 at Vancouver 8 p.m.
Mar. 1 Los Angeles 7 p.m.
Mar. 4 Vancouver 7 p.m.
Mar. 6 Anaheim 7 p.m.
Mar. 8 Dallas 7 p.m.
Mar. 9 at Dallas 6 p.m.
Mar. 11 at Atlanta 5 p.m.
Mar. 13 Edmonton 7 p.m.
Mar. 15 New Jersey 1 p.m.
Mar. 17 at Minnesota 5 p.m.
Mar. 20 at Calgary 7 p.m.
Mar. 22 at Edmonton 8 p.m.
Mar. 24 Calgary 7 p.m.
Mar. 26 Vancouver 7 p.m.
Mar. 28 Edmonton 7 p.m.
Mar. 30 at Minnesota 4 p.m.
Apr. 1 at Vancouver 8 p.m.
Apr. 6 Minnesota 1 p.m.
