Preds host Lightning, Blackhawks in 2021 shortened schedule

NASHVILLE (Predators Press Release) — Break out those 2021 planners.

The Nashville Predators – and the rest of the NHL – have released the schedule for the upcoming season, a 56-game slate unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

The shortened season will see the Preds only face opponents from the temporarily realigned Central Division over the course of the next four months. Mainstays Chicago and Dallas remain, while Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, Florida and Tampa Bay all join the division for the 2020-21 campaign.

Start times for games will be announced at a later date.

The NHL regular season will begin on Jan. 13 and conclude on May 8 with the top four teams from each division qualifying for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, set to commence on May 11.

Of course, the schedule is subject to change if necessary, and the NHL stated the need to be “flexible and adaptable” given the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nashville will open the season on Jan. 14 at Bridgestone Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets before hosting them again two nights later. This begins a pattern for the Preds that will see them face the same opponent in consecutive games throughout the regular season, with both games coming in the same city (no home-and-home matchups).

Highlights of the schedule include:

– Opening Night at Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 14 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

– Regular-Season Finale on May 8 in Nashville against the Carolina Hurricanes.

– Nine homestands and eight road trips.

– Nine sets of back-to-back games.

– Segments of two consecutive games against the same opponent throughout the season (23 instances).

– Two, six-game road trips (Feb. 15 to Feb. 25, March 9 to March 20).

– Five, four-game homestands (Jan. 14 to Jan. 19, Feb. 8 to Feb. 13, Feb. 27 to March 6, March 30 to April 4, April 26 to May 1).

The NHL also released their Critical Dates calendar on Tuesday and includes the following events over the coming months:

– Dec. 31 – Training camps open for seven Clubs that did not participate in the resumption of play for the 2019-20 season (Anaheim, Buffalo, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Ottawa and San Jose)

– Jan. 3 – Training camps open for the remaining 24 teams

– Jan. 13 – 2020-21 regular season begins

– April 12 – Trade deadline (2 p.m. CT)

– May 8 – Last day of regular season

– *May 11 – Stanley Cup Playoffs begin

– *July 9 – Last possible day of Stanley Cup Final

– July 17 – Deadline for Protection Lists for Expansion Draft (4 p.m. CT)

– July 21 – Expansion Draft for Seattle Kraken (7 p.m. CT)

– July 23 – Round 1 of NHL Draft

– July 24 – Rounds 2-7 of NHL Draft

– July 28 – Restricted Free Agent/Unrestricted Free Agent signing period begins (12 p.m. ET)

*subject to change

Stay tuned to NashvillePredators.com in the days and weeks to come for further information on game start times, broadcast schedules and additional details on the 2020-21 season.

Here is Nashville’s full schedule:

Thu Jan 14 vs. Columbus

Sat Jan 16 vs. Columbus

Mon Jan 18 vs. Carolina

Tue Jan 19 vs. Carolina

Fri Jan 22 at Dallas

Sun Jan 24 at Dallas

Tue Jan 26 vs. Chicago

Wed Jan 27 vs. Chicago

Sat Jan 30 at Tampa Bay

Mon Feb 1 at Tampa Bay

Thu Feb 4 at Florida

Fri Feb 5 at Florida

Mon Feb 8 vs. Tampa Bay

Tue Feb 9 vs. Tampa Bay

Thu Feb 11 vs. Detroit

Sat Feb 13 vs. Detroit

Mon Feb 15 at Dallas

Tue Feb 16 at Dallas

Thu Feb 18 at Columbus

Sat Feb 20 at Columbus

Tue Feb 23 at Detroit

Thu Feb 25 at Detroit

Sat Feb 27 vs. Columbus

Sun Feb 28 vs. Columbus

Thu Mar 4 vs. Florida

Sat Mar 6 vs. Florida

Tue Mar 9 at Carolina

Thu Mar 11 at Carolina

Sat Mar 13 at Tampa Bay

Mon Mar 15 at Tampa Bay

Thu Mar 18 at Florida

Sat Mar 20 at Florida

Tue Mar 23 vs. Detroit

Thu Mar 25 vs. Detroit

Sat Mar 27 at Chicago

Sun Mar 28 at Chicago

Tue Mar 30 vs. Dallas

Thu Apr 1 vs. Dallas

Sat Apr 3 vs. Chicago

Sun Apr 4 vs. Chicago

Tue Apr 6 at Detroit

Thu Apr 8 at Detroit

Sat Apr 10 vs. Tampa Bay

Mon Apr 12 vs. Tampa Bay

Thu Apr 15 at Carolina

Sat Apr 17 at Carolina

Wed Apr 21 at Chicago

Fri Apr 23 at Chicago

Mon Apr 26 vs. Florida

Tue Apr 27 vs. Florida

Thu Apr 29 vs. Dallas

Sat May 1 vs. Dallas

Mon May 3 at Columbus

Wed May 5 at Columbus

Fri May 7 vs. Carolina

Sat May 8 vs. Carolina