The St. Louis Blues and the National Hockey League have released the 2011-12 regular season schedule.
The Blues open the regular season with consecutive home games on Saturday, October 8 against the Nashville Predators and Monday, October 10 against the Calgary Flames before embarking on a four-game Pacific Division road trip starting on October 13 in Dallas.
The Blues will have a fan friendly schedule for the upcoming season that consists of 19 home games on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
“We, as an organization, work closely with the NHL every year on providing the best possible dates for our fans and we believe we have accomplished that once again,” said Blues CEO Michael McCarthy. “Having sold out all of home games last year we know we’ve got the best fans in hockey, and this schedule gives us a terrific opportunity to do it again!”
St. Louis will play six games (three home and three away) against each of its four Central Division rivals: the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, and Nashville Predators. The Blues will also play four games (two home and two away) against each of the remaining Western Conference opponents, including the Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks, who will make their first visit of the 2011-12 season to Scottrade Center on November 4.
The Eastern Conference teams visiting the Blues in 2011-12 are highlighted by the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins on February 22, along with the Eastern Conference finalist Tampa Bay Lightning on November 12. The Blues will also host Eastern Conference opponents such as the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blues will play a home-and-home set against the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning.