The Bruins will open the 2021-22 season on Saturday, Oct. 16, against the Dallas Stars at TD Garden, the first of 41 home games, provided the 82-game season is not interrupted again by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due in part to a three-week Olympic break Feb. 2-23, the schedule again is very compressed, with the Bruins playing approximately one-third of their games (28 in total) in 14 back-to-back pairings, the first of which will be Oct. 24 (home with San Jose) and Oct. 25 (at Carolina).
The league schedule was released Thursday, with start times and television schedule to be announced in the coming days.
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Some of the other highlights of the schedule:
▪ The Bruins will play 16 games over 30 days in January‚ their busiest month. They’ll play 15 times over 31 days in March.
▪ Their highly popular post-Thanksgiving game at the Garden, Friday, Nov. 26, will be against the Rangers. Typically it is a matinee.
▪ They face the Islanders Dec. 15 at the Fishsticks’ flashy new home adjacent Belmont Park. It will be their first matchup on Long Island since bowing out to Isles at Nassau Coliseum in Game 6, Round 2 of the playoffs in June.
▪ The Black-and-Gold’s first stop in Montreal will be Dec. 18, but they’ll first face the Habs in Boston Sunday, Nov. 14.
▪ The perennial Christmas break again will be Dec. 24-26. The Avalanche will be in town Dec. 23, followed by the Penguins at the Garden Dec. 27.
▪ The Lightning, the back-to-back Cup champs, will host the Bruins at Amalie Arena Jan. 8. The first visit here by the Bolts will be Saturday, Dec. 4.
▪ Boston’s last game prior to the Olympic break will be a Feb. 1 visit by the expansion Seattle Kraken and the Bruins will follow the break with a rematch in Seattle Feb. 24.
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▪ The game in Seattle will kick off the club’s longest road trip of the season, with stops in San Jose (Feb. 26), Los Angeles (Feb. 28), Anaheim (March 1), Vegas (March 3) and Columbus (March 5).
▪ The Bruins will close out the regular season Friday, April 29, in Toronto.
The NHL has yet to finalize plans with the IOC to send its players to Beijing for the 2022 Olympics. If the deal can’t be closed, it’s possible the schedule will be revised following games of Feb. 1.
BOSTON BRUINS 2021-22 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:
Timing and broadcast information will be announced by the NHL at a later date
OCTOBER:
Saturday, October 16 vs. Dallas
Wednesday, October 20 @ Philadelphia
Friday, October 22 @ Buffalo
Sunday, October 24 vs. San Jose
Monday, October 25 @ Carolina
Wednesday, October 27 @ Florida
Saturday, October 30 vs. Florida
NOVEMBER:
Thursday, November 4 vs. Detroit
Saturday, November 6 @ Toronto
Tuesday, November 9 vs. Ottawa
Thursday, November 11 vs. Edmonton
Saturday, November 13 @ New Jersey
Sunday, November 14 vs. Montreal
Saturday, November 20 @ Philadelphia
Sunday, November 21 vs. Calgary
Wednesday, November 24 @ Buffalo
Friday, November 26 vs. N.Y. Rangers
Sunday, November 28 vs. Vancouver
Tuesday, November 30 vs. Carolina
DECEMBER:
Thursday, December 2 @ Nashville
Saturday, December 4 vs. Tampa Bay
Wednesday, December 8 @ Vancouver
Thursday, December 9 @ Edmonton
Saturday, December 11 @ Calgary
Tuesday, December 14 vs. Vegas
Wednesday, December 15 @ N.Y. Islanders
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Saturday, December 18 @ Montreal
Sunday, December 19 @ Ottawa
Tuesday, December 21 vs. Detroit
Thursday, December 23 vs. Colorado
Monday, December 27 vs. Pittsburgh
Wednesday, December 29 @ Ottawa
JANUARY:
Saturday, January 1 vs. Buffalo
Sunday, January 2 @ Detroit
Tuesday, January 4 vs. New Jersey
Thursday, January 6 vs. Minnesota
Saturday, January 8 @ Tampa Bay
Monday, January 10 @ Washington
Wednesday, January 12 @ Montreal
Thursday, January 13 vs. Philadelphia
Saturday, January 15 vs. Nashville
Tuesday, January 18 vs. Carolina
Thursday, January 20 vs. Washington
Saturday, January 22 vs. Winnipeg
Monday, January 24 vs. Anaheim
Wednesday, January 26 @ Colorado
Friday, January 28 @ Arizona
Sunday, January 30 @ Dallas
FEBRUARY:
Tuesday, February 1 vs. Seattle
Thursday, February 24 @ Seattle
Saturday, February 26 @ San Jose
Monday, February 28 @ Los Angeles
MARCH:
Tuesday, March 1 @ Anaheim
Thursday, March 3 @ Vegas
Saturday, March 5 @ Columbus
Monday, March 7 vs. Los Angeles
Thursday, March 10 vs. Chicago
Saturday, March 12 vs. Arizona
Tuesday, March 15 @ Chicago
Wednesday, March 16 @ Minnesota
Friday, March 18 @ Winnipeg
Monday, March 21 vs. Montreal
Tuesday, March 22 @ N.Y. Islanders
Thursday, March 24 vs. Tampa Bay
Saturday, March 26 vs. N.Y. Islanders
Tuesday, March 29 vs. Toronto
Thursday, March 31 vs. New Jersey
APRIL:
Saturday, April 2 vs. Columbus
Monday, April 4 @ Columbus
Tuesday, April 5 @ Detroit
Friday, April 8 @ Tampa Bay
Sunday, April 10 @ Washington
Tuesday, April 12 vs. St. Louis
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Thursday, April 14 vs. Ottawa
Saturday, April 16 vs. Pittsburgh
Tuesday, April 19 @ St. Louis
Thursday, April 21 @ Pittsburgh
Saturday, April 23 vs. N.Y. Rangers
Sunday, April 24 @ N.Y. Rangers
Tuesday, April 26 vs. Florida
Thursday, April 28 vs. Buffalo
Friday, April 29 @ Toronto
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.