As fans waited patiently for any news on when the NHL season would start, the league finally delivered.
The NHL announced its schedule plans recently.
The 2020-21 NHL season will start on January 13th and end on May 8th. The season will consist of 56 games.
There will be four divisions, North, West, Central, and East. The New York Rangers will play in the East division.
The Rangers start their season on January 14th against the New York Islanders. The Rangers will face the Islanders eight times this season.
The Rangers will have six back-to-back games this season, which is the least amount of back-to-back games a team will have.
The games in January allow the Rangers to start strong. Besides the Islanders, the Rangers play the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Those three teams did not make the playoffs last season. The Rangers would have to get through the first two games against the Islanders, though.
Photo: —The Islanders will be the biggest competition for the Rangers in the East division. If the Rangers can get at least one win in those first two games, the team will be on the right track for its upcoming opponents.
This season will be yet another test for the Blueshirts. The Rangers are a young team, and most of their players are still new to the NHL experience.
With the debut of Alexis Lafrenière, fans are expecting to see great things. I think the Rangers will improve from last season, especially against teams in their own division. I don’t think fans should expect a playoff-ready team, but the Rangers will be much more improved.
The Rangers need to have a strong start to the season to keep that winning momentum. There have been plenty of changes to the team in terms of players, but the prospects will do fine with the right guidance by veteran players.
The Rangers have a fair schedule and could end the season with a winning record and possibly a playoff appearance.
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