
This year preseason began on September 14th and ends on the 29th. During this time 104 games will be played between the 30 teams that make up the NHL.
This is when we see the newly drafted players get to finally skate in the big leagues. No more training camps and medical tests. Now it is game time literally! You also get to see players drafted a few years back skate and also players who play for the team's AHL team plus more veteran players on try out contracts. Players are going to be cut or sent down to the minors during this process. Preseason gives head coaches, GMs and owners a chance to see their pool of talent with an eagle eye view and the best chance at building a Stanley Cup contending team.
Above I posted a video of Hunter Shinkaruk who scored the tying goal here in Vancouver on Monday night. That type of goal is a gem, ones that get the crowd going and give fans a reason to get excited about the season. Besides Shinkaruk, Cory Schneider played his first game as a Devil. Schneider played the opening 40 minutes against the New York Rangers stopping all 22 shots he faced. I bet his old head coach Alain Vigneault who is now head coach for the Rangers was having a good time watching that unfold.
The other fun part about preseason? Games are always held in the home team's arenas but during the preseason locations for games are spread around a bit giving exposure to/for non NHL cities. The Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers are all playing games in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. The Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets are playing a game in Saskatoon at the Credit Union Centre and the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers are playing in Oklahoma City's Cox Convention Centre. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers don't have to travel far they are playing each other in Estero, Florida at the Germain Arena. The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders face off at the Barclay's Centre in Brooklyn, New York. This game will be interesting because the Islanders are scheduled to move into the Barclay's Centre for the 2015-16 season. The Dallas Stars will be bringing NHL hockey to San Antonio when they play the Florida Panthers and lastly one more interesting spot to pick a preseason game? The Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens play each other in Quebec City at Colisée Pepsi. Remember Quebec City use to be home to the Nordiques until the team was relocated to Colorado and became the Avalanche in 1995. Quebec City is rumoured to be a city in talks for getting a NHL team back.
While poking around for preseason highlights I came across a new Cory Schneider commercial. I have uploaded it below for fun! Also you can find the entire preseason schedule below! Until the puck drops October 1st to start the regular season have fun watching preseason!! Enjoy
SATURDAY, SEPT. 14
Washington vs. Winnipeg, at Belleville, Ont. (Yardmen Arena), 7 p.m.
Edmonton (split squad) at Calgary (split squad), 9 p.m.
Calgary (split squad) at Edmonton (split squad), 10 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 15
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 6 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Toronto, at London, Ont. (Budweiser Gardens), 6 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles (split squad) at Phoenix (split squad), 10 p.m.
Phoenix (split squad) at Los Angeles (split squad), 10 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 16
Nashville at Florida (split-squad doubleheader, 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.)
Boston at Montreal, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia (split squad) at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia (split squad), 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Calgary vs. Ottawa, at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 9 p.m.
Phoenix at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 17
NY Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Columbus (split squad), 7 p.m.
Boston vs. Washington, at Baltimore, Md. (1st Mariner Arena), 7 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Columbus (split squad) at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
NY Islanders (split squad) at Calgary (split squad), 9 p.m.
NY Islanders (split squad) vs. Calgary (split squad), at Regina, Sask. (Brandt Centre), 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18
St. Louis vs. Tampa Bay, at Orlando, Fla. (Amway Center), 7 p.m.
Columbus at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Florida at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 19
Detroit at Boston, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 20
Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m.
Carolina vs. Montreal, at Quebec City, Que. (Colisée Pepsi), 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Dallas vs. Florida, at San Antonio, Tex. (AT&T Center), 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 21
Columbus at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m.
Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Boston at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
New Jersey vs. NY Islanders, at Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclays Center), 7 p.m.
Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Winnipeg at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Edmonton, 10 p.m.
Phoenix at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 22
Chicago at Detroit, 5 p.m.
NY Islanders at Nashville, 6 p.m.
Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Anaheim, 8 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 23
Washington at Boston, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Columbus, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
NY Rangers at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.
Phoenix at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 24
Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
NY Rangers at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
Vancouver at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25
Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Washington, 7 p.m.
Montreal at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Calgary, 9 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Florida vs. Tampa Bay, at Estero, Fla. (Germain Arena), 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
NY Rangers at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 27
Buffalo at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington, 7 p.m.
Nashville at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Dallas vs. Edmonton, at Oklahoma City, Okla. (Cox Convention Center), 8 p.m.
Boston vs. Winnipeg, at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 9 p.m.
San Jose at Phoenix, 10 p.m.
Los Angeles vs. NY Rangers, at Las Vegas, Nev. (MGM Grand), 10:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28
Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 7 p.m.
Washington at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Colorado vs. Los Angeles, at Las Vegas, Nev. (MGM Grand), 10 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29
NY Islanders (split squad) vs. Ottawa (split squad), at Barrie, Ont. (Molson Centre), 6 p.m.
NY Islanders (split squad) at Ottawa (split squad), 7:30 p.m.
For the latest schedule information, visit NHL.com/schedules.