NHL announces 2009-10 pre-season schedule

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League today announced the dates and start times for the 2009-10 pre-season schedule, which runs from Monday, Sept. 14 through Wednesday, Sept. 30. The 109-game slate features four NHL clubs -- the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues -- playing a total of six games in five European cities prior to their regular-season openers in the 2009 Compuware NHL Premiere series at Helsinki, Finland (Chicago/Florida) and Stockholm, Sweden (Detroit/St. Louis).

The Red Wings and their sizeable contingent of Swedish players travel to Karlstad, Sweden for a game with Farjestad on Sept. 30, ahead of their season-opening two-game series against the Blues in Stockholm on Oct. 2 and 3. The Blues will tune up for their showdown with the Red Wings by facing Linkoping HC in Linkoping, Sweden on Sept. 29.

The Blackhawks and Panthers, who open regular-season play with a two-game series in Helsinki on Oct. 2 and 3, each have two pre-season games in Europe. The Blackhawks face Swiss club ZSC Lions in Zurich, Switzerland on Sept. 29 in competition for the Victoria Cup, which pits an NHL team against the winner of Europe’s IIHF-sanctioned Champions Hockey League. The night before the Victoria Cup, the Blackhawks face Swiss club HC Davos in Zurich. The Panthers head to Tampere, Finland to take on Finnish club Tappara on Sept. 28 and face Jokerit in Helsinki on Sept. 30.

The people of Terrace, B.C., winners of the Canada-wide Kraft Hockeyville contest, will celebrate the grand prize when the New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks open the NHL pre-season schedule in their community Sept. 14.

The schedule features several other contests that will be played outside NHL cities, including Everett, Wash. (Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 22); Halifax, N.S. (Florida vs. Ottawa, Sept. 15); Kansas City, Mo. (Los Angeles vs. NY Islanders, Sept. 22); Las Vegas, Nev. (Colorado vs. Los Angeles, Sept. 26); London, Ont. (Philadelphia vs. Toronto, Sept. 17); Loveland, Colo. (Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 23); Ontario, Calif. (Los Angeles vs. San Jose, Sept. 17); Quebec City, Que. (Boston vs. Montreal, Sept. 20); Regina, Sask. (Ottawa vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 21); Saskatoon, Sask. (NY Islanders vs. Calgary, Sept. 19 and NY Islanders vs. Edmonton, Sept. 20) and Winnipeg, Man. (Edmonton vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 24).

The 2009-10 NHL regular season opens Oct. 1.


MONDAY, SEPT. 14

NY Islanders vs. Vancouver, at Terrace, B.C. (Terrace Sportsplex), 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15

Florida vs. Ottawa, at Halifax, N.S. (Metro Centre), 6 p.m.
Boston at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles (split squad) at Phoenix (split squad), 10 p.m.
Phoenix (split squad) at Los Angeles (split squad), 10:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16

Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Florida at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
NY Islanders at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Phoenix at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17

Washington at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Toronto, at London, Ont. (John Labatt Centre), 7 p.m.
Florida at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
NY Islanders at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Los Angeles vs. San Jose, at Ontario, Calif. (Citizens Business Bank Arena), 10:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 18

Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
NY Rangers at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Colorado at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Columbus at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Florida at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Anaheim at Phoenix, 10 p.m.
Vancouver at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19

NY Rangers at Boston, 4 p.m.
Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Columbus at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Calgary vs. NY Islanders, at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 8 p.m.
Washington at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Phoenix at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20

Chicago at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
Boston vs. Montreal, at Quebec City, Que. (Colisée Pepsi), 7 p.m.
Edmonton vs. NY Islanders, at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Florida at Calgary, 9 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 21

Carolina at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.
Detroit at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa vs. Tampa Bay, at Regina, Sask. (Evraz Place), 9 p.m.
Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 22

Pittsburgh at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Boston at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles vs. NY Islanders, at Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center), 8 p.m.
Florida at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay, at Everett, Wash. (Comcast Arena), 10:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay, at Loveland, Colo. (Budweiser Events Center), 9 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

Washington at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Boston at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Edmonton vs. Tampa Bay, at Winnipeg, Man. (MTS Centre), 8:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

Boston at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Boston, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Carolina at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Colorado vs. Los Angeles, at Las Vegas, Nev. (MGM Grand), 9 p.m.
San Jose at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27

NY Rangers at Washington, 12 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Detroit, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 5 p.m.
Nashville at Columbus, 5 p.m.
Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 8 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 28

Florida vs. Tappara, at Tampere, Finland (Hakametsan Arena), 12 p.m.
Chicago vs. HC Davos, at Zurich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion), 2:15 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29

St. Louis vs. Linkoping HC, at Linkoping, Sweden (Cloetta Center), 1 p.m.
Chicago vs. ZSC Lions, at Zurich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion), 2:15 p.m.
NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30

Florida vs. Jokerit, at Helsinki, Finland (Hartwall Arena), 12 p.m.
Detroit vs. Farjestad, at Karlstad, Sweden (Lofbergs Lila Arena), 1 p.m.