The Blue Jackets have announced their 2009-2010 regular season schedule. The Jackets will open the season at home Saturday, October 3. They’ll be taking on expansion rival Minnesota. That game will be followed promptly by a three-game western road trip, which will see the Jackets visiting Vancouver, San Jose and Phoenix. The Blue Jacket will end the regular season with a home-and-home series with the team that ended their 2008-2009 season: The Detroit Red Wings.
Here is the entire 2009-2010 schedule:
OCTOBER
3 Sat. MINNESOTA WILD 7 p.m.
5 Mon. at Vancouver Canucks 10 p.m.
8 Thu. at San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m.
10 Sat. at Phoenix Coyotes 9 p.m.
13 Tue. CALGARY FLAMES 7 p.m.
17 Sat. LOS ANGELES KINGS 7 p.m.
20 Tue. at Calgary Flames 9:30 p.m.
22 Thu. at Edmonton Oilers 9:30 p.m.
24 Sat. at Anaheim Ducks 10 p.m.
25 Sun. at Los Angeles Kings 9 p.m.
28 Wed. PHOENIX COYOTES 7 p.m.
30 Fri. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 7 p.m.
NOVERMBER
1 Sun. at Washington Capitals 5 p.m.
4 Wed. SAN JOSE SHARKS 7 p.m.
5 Thu. at Atlanta Thrashers 7 p.m.
7 Sat. CAROLINA HURRICANES 7 p.m.
11 Wed. DETROIT RED WINGS 7 p.m.
13 Fri. ANAHEIM DUCKS 7 p.m.
16 Mon. EDMONTON OILERS 7 p.m.
19 Thu. at Dallas Stars 8:30 p.m.
21 Sat. at Nashville Predators 8 p.m.
23 Mon. at New York Rangers 7 p.m.
24 Tue. at Montreal Canadiens 7:30 p.m.
26 Thu. at Ottawa Senators 7:30 p.m.
28 Sat. CALGARY FLAMES 7 p.m.
30 Mon. ST. LOUIS BLUES 7 p.m.
DECEMBER
. 1 Tue. at Chicago Blackhawks 8 p.m.
3 Thu. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 7 p.m.
5 Sat. COLORADO AVALANCHE 7 p.m.
9 Wed. FLORIDA PANTHERS 7 p.m.
10 Thu. at Nashville Predators 8 p.m.
12 Sat. ANAHEIM DUCKS 7 p.m.
14 Mon. NASHVILLE PREDATORS 7 p.m.
15 Tue. at Minnesota Wild 8 p.m.
17 Thu. PHOENIX COYOTES 7 p.m.
19 Sat. at Colorado Avalanche 9 p.m.
21 Mon. at Phoenix Coyotes 9 p.m.
23 Wed. at Dallas Stars 8:30 p.m.
26 Sat. at Detroit Red Wings 7 p.m.
28 Mon. DETROIT RED WINGS 7 p.m.
29 Tue. at New York Islanders 7 p.m.
31 Thu. NASHVILLE PREDATORS 7 p.m.
JANUARY
. 2 Sat. COLORADO AVALANCHE 7 p.m.
5 Tue. at Vancouver Canucks 10 p.m.
7 Thu. at Edmonton Oilers 9 p.m.
8 Fri. at Calgary Flames 9 p.m.
10 Sun. DALLAS STARS 7 p.m.
12 Tue. at St. Louis Blues 8 p.m.
14 Thu. at Chicago Blackhawks 8:30 p.m.
16 Sat. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2 p.m.
18 Mon. ST. LOUIS BLUES 7 p.m.
19 Tue. at Philadelphia Flyers 7 p.m.
21 Thu. at Boston Bruins 7 p.m.
23 Sat. at Minnesota Wild 9 p.m.
26 Tue. NASHVILLE PREDATORS 7 p.m.
28 Thu. LOS ANGELES KINGS 7 p.m.
30 Sat. at St. Louis Blues 8 p.m.
February
2 Tue. at Colorado Avalanche 9 p.m.
4 Thu. DALLAS STARS 7 p.m.
6 Sat. BUFFALO SABRES 7 p.m.
10 Wed. SAN JOSE SHARKS 7 p.m.
12 Fri. VANCOUVER CANUCKS 7 p.m.
14 Sun. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 5 p.m.
MARCH
. 2 Tue. VANCOUVER CANUCKS 7 p.m.
6 Sat. at San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m.
8 Mon. at Los Angeles Kings 10:30 p.m.
9 Tue. at Anaheim Ducks 10 p.m.
11 Thu. ATLANTA THRASHERS 7 p.m.
13 Sat. ST. LOUIS BLUES 7 p.m.
15 Mon. EDMONTON OILERS 7 p.m.
19 Fri. MINNESOTA WILD 7 p.m.
20 Sat. at Nashville Predators 8 p.m.
23 Tue. at New Jersey Devils 7 p.m.
25 Thu. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 7 p.m.
27 Sat. NEW YORK ISLANDERS 7 p.m.
28 Sun. at Chicago Blackhawks 7 p.m.
30 Tue. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 7 p.m.
APRIL
1 Thu. at Detroit Red Wings 7:30 p.m.
3 Sat. WASHINGTON CAPITALS 7 p.m.
5 Mon. at St. Louis Blues 8 p.m.
7 Wed. at Detroit Red Wings 7:30 p.m.
9 Fri. DETROIT RED WINGS 7 p.m.
Games of Note:
10/28 vs Phoenix. The Blue Jackets lost all four games to Phoenix last season. One win would have been the difference between playing Vancouver or Detroit in the first round of last year’s playoffs. The Blue Jackets have not beaten the Coyotes in Nationwide Arena since October 10, 2007.
10/30 vs Pittsburgh. The Stanley Cup Champs come to town for a meaningful game. Last season’s match-up at Nationwide on March 12 was one of the more memorable games in Jackets history. The Jackets blew a 3-0 lead in the 3rd period but won in a shoot-out with Kristian Huselius scoring the only goal and Steve Mason turning away Crosby and Malkin.
11/24 @ Ottawa. Will Dany Heatley still be with the Sens? If not they will have got someone(s) sizeable in return. It’s hard to ever count the Ottawa out of contention with the firepower they have up front. This is also a chance for our friends in the Capitol to see the Jackets in person.
11/26 @ Montreal. The Blue Jackets take on the Bleu Blanc et Rouge in Montreal. Habs GM Bob Gainey could be on the hot seat if his summer makeover hasn’t worked out.
12/3 vs Toronto. The Leafs come to Columbus for the first time since October ’06. The Leafs have a re-vamped roster and it will likely look much different from how it looks today. Rick Nash will have a chance to stick it to his quasi-hometown team and Leafs fans will be able wonder what could have been. In addition their could be some extra drama riding on the game if a deal is made between Columbus and Toronto for a defensemen.
12/31 vs. Nashville. After a year off the Blue Jackets will once again play on New Year’s Eve in Columbus. The fans will be out in their best and ready to have a good time. The fact that the game is against the Evil Empire (Nashville) only adds to the tremendous atmosphere. If you haven’t been to a New Year’s game, try to pick up a ticket. It’s always a great time.
The entire January Schedule. The Blue Jackets play 15 games because of the 2010 Olympics. Nine of those games will be on the road with trips to Northwest Canada, Boston and Philadelphia. In addition, the Jackets will play St. Louis three times in the month of January. The Jackets and Blues have developed a bitter rivalry over the past couple seasons and losses to the Blues late in the 08-09 season really hurt Columbus. The Blues have a very good-looking team and will be a dark horse in the West.
3/2 vs. Vancouver. The Jackets return to action after the Olympic break taking on the team from host city. Hopefully likely-Jackets Olympians, such as Rick Nash, aren’t too burn out (or hungover) from deep Olympic runs. Both teams should be rusty but the teams need to shrug that off in a hurry because the schedule as cramped for the rest of the season.
3.27 vs NYI. This summer’s first overall pick and Islanders savior John Tavares comes to Columbus. No one knows how Tavares career will turn out but this hockey fan thinks that JT will end up in Toronto when his career is over. The Islanders may not be in contention this year but Tavares is sure to captivate Nationwide Arena crowd.
The entire April Schedule. The Jackets play Detroit three times in nine days, including a home-and-home series to close the season. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals come to visit April 3rd and the Blue Jackets will visit St. Louis on the 5th. This is a tough schedule to end the season and if the Jackets lose too many should-win games (cough cough Phoenix 08-09) the Union Blue could find themselves on the outside looking in after the final whistle on the 9th.
