The Devils will return to a much more normal schedule this fall, months after a condensed 60-game schedule that was rearranged due to the pandemic.
New Jersey begins the new season with five straight home games and six games at Prudential Center in the first seven games overall.
At the bottom is the full 2021-22 schedule for the Devils, but there are some significant milestones and matchups along the way. Here are six games to keep an eye on among the 82-game schedule:
Oct. 15: Opening night
The Devils start the 2021-22 season at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, the first of five straight home games to begin the season. As pandemic restrictions were able to lessen, it will be the first team outside of the retooled East division from last season that Lindy Ruff and the Devils will face in more than a year. It also would likely be the largest crowd at Prudential Center since before the pandemic struck and halted the 2019-20 season.
The game could also potentially see a reunion of brothers: the Subban brothers. Devils defenseman P.K. and Blackhawks goalie Malcolm were both exposed to the expansion draft earlier this week, but both remained on their teams and away from the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday. There is still plenty of offseason remaining, but if both brothers remain in place and make the opening rosters, they will be in the same arena to begin the season.
Oct. 19: Bring on the Kraken
The 32nd NHL franchise will get a national spotlight as the Kraken begin play a week earlier. Seattle’s first-ever game will take place in Vegas on Oct. 12 in a clash between the two newest NHL franchises. A week later, the Kraken take a trip to the east coast and meet up with the Devils.
Only the second game of the season for the Devils, they’ll see the Kraken and possibly former Devil Nathan Bastian for the first time. The Devils will travel to Washington state and play their first game ever in Seattle on April 16 as a part of a five-game road trip, the longest of the season.
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Oct. 31: Their 3,000th game
A Sunday game at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets might only seem special because it falls on Halloween. However, there will be a special milestone on that night by the Devils as the schedule currently aligns. It will be the 7th game of the season for the Devils, amounting to the 3,000th all-time game for the franchise since their move to New Jersey.
The Devils spent time earlier in their existence as the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies for a combined eight seasons and 640 games in the other two cities before coming to New Jersey and being renamed the Devils in 1982.
Nov. 14: Devils head to the Garden
There won’t be a weeklong series of games with the Rangers like this past season, but the rivalry will remain strong. The two teams will play home and away two times each next season with three of the four matchups taking place after the beginning of March. The lone outlier in the season series is this mid-November game at Madison Square Garden.
The Devils and Rangers have played one another over 250 times since the Devils were born nearly four decades ago, and a Rangers victory in this November game would tie the longest win streak by either side in the history of the rivalry. Currently, the Rangers have won six in a row against the Devils, one shy of tying their previous high mark.
Dec. 11: First trip to the Island
The first 13 games of the schedule for the Islanders will be on the road before they can open UBS Arena on Nov. 20. Three weeks later, the Devils will make the trip to Elmont and check out the new home of the Islanders for the first time.
Exactly a month earlier on Nov. 11 will be when the Islanders play in front of fans at Prudential Center for the first time, allowing fans to greet longtime Devil Andy Greene, as well as any other former Devils that will remain on the Islanders’ roster.
Feb. 28: Battle between brothers
There are questions as to whether Jack Hughes will be joined in Newark by his brother, Luke, when the Devils draft fourth overall on Friday. Regardless, there will be two Hughes brothers on the ice at the same time at the end of February. When Vancouver comes to visit Prudential Center on the last day of February, Jack will face off against another brother, Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Is there a scenario where all three brothers could be in the league with Luke joining one of his brothers’ teams and all three on the ice at once? Sure. For now, this season gives us a glimpse of a Hughes family household splitting the cheers.
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Devils 2021-22 schedule
(all game times TBA)
Oct. 15 — vs. Chicago
Oct. 19 — vs. Seattle
Oct. 21 — vs. Washington
Oct. 23 — vs. Buffalo
Oct. 26 — vs. Calgary
Oct. 30 — at Pittsburgh
Oct. 31 — vs. Columbus
Nov. 2 — at Anaheim
Nov. 5 — at Los Angeles
Nov. 6 — at San Jose
Nov. 9 — vs. Florida
Nov. 11 — vs. N.Y. Islanders
Nov. 13 — vs. Boston
Nov. 14 — at N.Y. Rangers
Nov. 16 — vs. Ottawa
Nov. 18 — at Florida
Nov. 20 — at Tampa Bay
Nov. 24 — vs. Minnesota
Nov. 26 — at Nashville
Nov. 28 — vs. Philadelphia
Nov. 30 — vs. San Jose
Dec. 2 — at Minnesota
Dec. 3 — at Winnipeg
Dec. 8 — vs. Philadelphia
Dec. 10 — vs. Nashville
Dec. 11 — at N.Y. Islanders
Dec. 14 — at Philadelphia
Dec. 16 — vs. Vegas
Dec. 18 — at Detroit
Dec. 19 — vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 21 — at Pittsburgh
Dec. 23 — vs. Montreal
Dec. 27 — at St. Louis
Dec. 29 — at Buffalo
Dec. 31 — vs. Edmonton
Jan. 2 — at Washington
Jan. 4 — at Boston
Jan. 6 — vs. Columbus
Jan. 8 — at Columbus
Jan. 10 — vs. Tampa Bay
Jan. 13 — at N.Y. Islanders
Jan. 15 — at Montreal
Jan. 17 — at Toronto
Jan. 19 — vs. Arizona
Jan. 22 — vs. Carolina
Jan. 23 — vs. Los Angeles
Jan. 25 — vs. Dallas
Jan. 27 — at Tampa Bay
Jan. 29 — at Carolina
Feb. 1 — vs. Toronto
Feb. 4-5 — All-Star break at Las Vegas
Olympic break
Feb. 24 — vs. Pittsburgh
Feb. 25 — at Chicago
Feb. 28 — vs. Vancouver
March 1 — at Columbus
March 4 — at. N.Y. Rangers
March 6 — vs. St. Louis
March 8 — vs. Colorado
March 10 — vs. Winnipeg
March 12 — vs. Anaheim
March 15 — at Vancouver
March 16 — at Calgary
March 19 — at Edmonton
March 22 — vs. N.Y. Rangers
March 23 — at Toronto
March 26 — at Washington
March 27 — vs. Montreal
March 31 — at Boston
April 2 — vs. Florida
April 3 — vs. N.Y. Islanders
April 5 — vs. N.Y. Rangers
April 7 — at Ottawa
April 9 — at Dallas
April 12 — at Arizona
April 14 — at Colorado
April 16 — at Seattle
April 18 — at Vegas
April 21 — vs. Buffalo
April 23 — vs. Carolina
April 24 — vs. Detroit
April 26 — at Ottawa
April 28 — at Carolina
April 29 — vs. Detroit
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Twitter: @robertaitkenjr
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