NHL Unveils Anaheim Ducks 56 Game Schedule
Gentlemen, ladies, and theydies, we’re back.
The NHL officially unveiled the 56 game schedule that will make up the 2020-21 season on Wednesday.
The Ducks season will begin on Thursday, January 14th against the Vegas Golden Knights and will end May 8th against the Minnesota Wild.
Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the abbreviated schedule, the Ducks will only be playing teams in the new and temporary West division made up of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Kings, the San Jose Sharks, the Arizona Coyotes, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild, and the St. Louis Blues. The top four teams in each division will earn a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This is going to be a very unique, and very fun (if I do say so myself) schedule; the kind we haven’t seen before considering the circumstances.
Each team in the division will play each other eight times. Most matchups will consist of a two game series, taking cues from the baseball world, instead of the one-off games we are used to seeing in a normal season.
One of the notable exceptions to this setup for the Ducks is a one-game matchup against the Kings on February 3rd to set up a whopping five-game Freeway Faceoff series from April 20th through May 1st. The timing of this series is notable as it may be an attempt from the teams to bet on having fans allowed in stadiums depending on the rollout of the COVID vaccines.
Another potential scenario is the chance for outdoor games. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has recently reported that the Kings and Ducks have discussed hosting one or more outdoor games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. AEG, the entertainment company that owns the Kings, also owns the home of MLS’s LA Galaxy, and depending on local and state health regulations, could allow for higher attendance figures. Obviously the weather in late April can be a bit unpredictable (at least by Southern California standards), so that would have to be a consideration as well.
The Ducks will have 12 two-game series on the road at 14 at home, with nine sets of back-to-back games in this all-out sprint for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With this NHL season being approximately 30% shorter than a normal 82 game season, the first 10 contests of the year will be critical for determining Anaheim’s playoff chances. According to analytics-guru Sean Tierney’s simulations, the Ducks have the widest range of potential outcomes, from bottom five lottery team to the owners of the fourth and final playoff spot in the West division.
The Ducks first 10 games will consist of two-game series against Vegas, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, and St. Louis.
Vegas has dominated Anaheim since their debut in 2017, and only got better this offseason with the addition of Alex Pietrangelo on their blueline. Minnesota is an underrated team that should win some games, but they’re a beatable team. Colorado, like Vegas, is a cup favorite and should be an absolute juggernaut, so the odds of doing well here are slim to say the least. Arizona is the biggest wild card. They lost their top offensive threat in Taylor Hall, but still have one of the best goalie tandems in the league with Anti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper. Those two have had a myriad of health issues, however, so they also figure to be vulnerable. And even though St. Louis lost their captain to free agency, they still have enough firepower to make easy work of the Ducks if they so choose.
Looking at these 10 games, I’m honestly not sure I can be confident in a prediction. What I do know is that if the Ducks are under .500 after this opening stretch, they should seriously consider selling off assets and going for another high lottery pick. Of course, the likelihood of this happening is slim while the famously tank-averse Bob Murray is still at the helm.
Keep in mind, however, that Murray has just one year left on his contract as the Anaheim Ducks General Manager. It’s very possible that Murray could have a warm seat for the first time in a long time, and if the Ducks stumble enough out of the gate after his public declarations of wanting to compete for a playoff spot, it wouldn’t be out of the question that owners Henry and Susan Samueli cut ties with the long-time executive.
With such a wide array of outcomes and the abbreviated season dawning upon us, the 2020-21 NHL season will undoubtedly be filled with exciting moments and compelling storylines.
It’s time to buckle-up for a wild season.
The full 56 game schedule is listed below:
Thursday, January 14 at Vegas
Saturday, January 16 at Vegas
Monday, January 18 vs. Minnesota
Wednesday, January 20 vs. Minnesota
Friday, January 22 vs. Colorado
Sunday, January 24 vs. Colorado
Tuesday, January 26 at Arizona
Thursday, January 28 at Arizona
Saturday, January 30 vs. St. Louis
Sunday, January 31 vs. St. Louis
Wednesday, February 3 at Los Angeles
Friday, February 5 vs. San Jose
Saturday, February 6 vs. San Jose
Tuesday, February 9 at Vegas
Thursday, February 11 at Vegas
Saturday, February 13 at San Jose
Monday, February 15 at San Jose
Thursday, February 18 vs. Minnesota
Saturday, February 20 vs. Minnesota
Monday, February 22 at Arizona
Wednesday, February 24 at Arizona
Friday, February 26 vs. Vegas
Saturday, February 27 vs. Vegas
Monday, March 1 vs. St. Louis
Wednesday, March 3 vs. St. Louis
Friday, March 5 at Colorado
Saturday, March 6 at Colorado
Monday, March 8 vs. Los Angeles
Wednesday, March 10 vs. Los Angeles
Friday, March 12 vs. San Jose
Saturday, March 13 vs. San Jose
Tuesday, March 16 vs. Arizona
Thursday, March 18 vs. Arizona
Monday, March 22 at Minnesota
Wednesday, March 24 at Minnesota
Friday, March 26 at St. Louis
Saturday, March 27 at St. Louis
Monday, March 29 at Colorado
Wednesday, March 31 at Colorado
Friday, April 2 vs. Arizona
Sunday, April 4 vs. Arizona
Friday, April 9 vs. Colorado
Sunday, April 11 vs. Colorado
Monday, April 12 at San Jose
Wednesday, April 14 at San Jose
Friday, April 16 vs. Vegas
Sunday, April 18 vs. Vegas
Tuesday, April 20 at Los Angeles
Monday, April 26 at Los Angeles
Wednesday, April 28 at Los Angeles
Friday, April 30 vs. Los Angeles
Saturday, May 1 vs. Los Angeles
Monday, May 3 at St. Louis
Wednesday, May 5 at St. Louis
Friday, May 7 at Minnesota
Saturday, May 8 at Minnesota