LAS VEGAS — As they did last year, the NHL schedule makers will put the Avalanche on the road for a good portion of its early 2010-11 season.
Seven of the Avs’ first 10 games will be on the road, according to a schedule released by the NHL on Tuesday.
However, the Avs will open the season at home Oct. 7. The opponents, though, are tough ones — the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
After that game, the Avs will embark on what figures to be a tough, five-game road trip first at Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia, then at Detroit, followed by games against the New Jersey Devils, the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers.
“I’m hoping we’ll catch Chicago and Philly in a bit of a hangover mode,” Avs coach Joe Sacco said in Las Vegas, where he is a finalist for the NHL coach of the year. “But seriously, I do like the fact that we go on the road again early and get to establish a bond again as a team. It’s certainly a tough road trip, that first one.
“It’s going to be a great test for us, and we’re not going to catch people by surprise like we did last year. We’re going to have to be ready when the puck drops.”
For the third consecutive season, the Avs will face every Eastern Conference team either home or away (18 games overall). They will play each Northwest Division opponent six times. They will have 14 back-to-back games overall.
The Avs have three five-game homestands and two five-game road trips. The NHL’s All-Star Weekend will be Jan. 29-30 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
The Avalanche will play seven preseason games, the most since 2003-04, against three opponents: Dallas (three times) and Los Angeles (twice) and St. Louis (twice).
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Highlight games
Denver Post Avalanche beat writer Adrian Dater looks at some of the more interesting games on the team’s 2010-11 schedule:
Oct. 7, Chicago — The Blackhawks open defense of their Stanley Cup in Denver.
Oct. 12, at Detroit — The Avs and Red Wings mix things up a little earlier than usual.
Dec. 31, at Calgary — New Year’s Eve in Western Canada — bring your mittens.
Feb. 16, Pittsburgh — Sidney Crosby comes to town.
April 10, Edmonton — The regular-season finale. Will the game mean anything?
