Mark your calendars! Key dates for the Rangers this season

The schedule for the New York Rangers 2021-22 season has been released and there are some dates you may want to circle on your calendars.  There are a few things to know before we get into games that should be noted.

The NHL is slowly getting back to a normal schedule with the season starting in mid-October instead of the beginning of the month.  For the Rangers, it means their season starts on Wednesday, October 13, one day after the NHL kicks off the campaign with two games on the 12th.

The other important thing to note is that the league is shutting down for three weeks in February for the All-Star game (February 5) and so that players can participate in the Winter Olympics.   As a result of the late start and the Olympics break, the last day of the season is Friday, April 29, three weeks later than normal.

The mid-season break means that the schedule will be compressed with the teams playing more games in fewer days.   With the teams playing a full 82 game schedule, any COVID-19 issues will have to be dealt with as they arise and any cancelled games will have to be squeezed into an already tight schedule.

With the addition of the Seattle Kraken, it means that the Arizona Coyotes are moving into the Central Division.  Also, if you enjoyed the Rangers playing their arch-rivals eight times last season, forget it.  Due to expansion, instead of playing each Metropolitan Division rival four times, they will play the Capitals and Blue Jackets only three times.

Here are some games you will be sure to want to watch.

Tom Wilson revisited

At Washington Capitals –  Wednesday, October 13

With the addition of Ryan Reaves to the roster, Ranger fans are salivating over a rematch with the Washington Capitals and Tom Wilson.  They won’t have to wait long as the Rangers open their season on the road against the Caps.   It will also be the debut of hockey coverage on Turner as the game will be nationally televised on TNT.

Washington Capitals –  Tuesday, February 24

Getting the opportunity to heckle Tom Wilson at Madison Square Garden will have to wait until late February.  Not only that, it will be the first game for both teams after the Olympics break.

Washington Capitals – Friday, April 29

The Rangers end their season as they began it, playing the Capitals, but at home.  The hope has to be that this will be a game with playoff implications so any Wilson-related shenanigans won’t be happening.

Hello Dougie Hamilton

New Jersey Devils – Sunday, November 14

Whenever the Rangers play the Devils, it is something special with the Kaapo Kakko-Jack Hughes rivalry.  The Rangers host the revitalized Devils for the first time this season in mid-November, their first chance at Dougie Hamilton who will be trying to prove that he is the Metropolitan Area’s best defenseman.

They don’t play the Devils again until March 4 at the Garden, then play them twice in Newark in two weeks at the end of the season on March 22 and April 5.

Enter the Kraken

Seattle Kraken – Sunday, January 30

The Rangers will play the expansion Seattle Kraken on the road on Halloween, but Ranger fans won’t get a chance to see them in person until January 30.   If they follow the lead of the Vegas Golden Knights, they won’t be pushovers.

Welcome back Captain Happy

St. Louis Blues – Wednesday, March 2

The NHL schedule always has some oddities and this season one of them involves the St. Louis Blues.  The Blueshirts play the Blues twice this season and both games are within eight days.  Pavel Buchnevich makes his return to MSG on Wednesday, March 2 and then gets another chance to make the Rangers regret that trade when they play in St. Louis on Thursday, March 10.

The Carolina Rangers

Carolina Hurricanes – Tuesday, April 12

With no fewer than seven former Rangers on the team (DeAngelo, Fast, Keane, Raanta, Skjei, Smith, Stepan) anytime the Rangers play the Hurricanes, it will be worth watching.  It will be even more interesting this season because of Tony DeAngelo.  Ranger fans will be able to watch them play in Carolina on television for the first time on Friday, January 21 and then again on Sunday, March 20. Unfortunately, Carolina doesn’t come to New York until April 12 and then they have a rematch on April 26 in the second to last game of the season.

Yes, the Rangers don’t play a Metropolitan Divison arch-rival until three months into the season, then play them three times in the last six weeks.  The key question is whether DeAngelo will still be with the team by the time they come to the Garden. Hopefully he will be.

Other dates worth noting

Buffalo Sabres – Sunday, November 21

Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres come to Madison Square Garden for the first time in November. Or maybe it will be the Buffalo Sabres without Jack Eichel.  Or maybe it will be the Buffalo Sabres without Jack Eichel, but with a bunch of former Rangers.  We shall see.

At New York Islanders – Wednesday, November 24
New York Islanders – Sunday, November 28

The Isles come to the Garden for the first time in the season at the end of November.   The week before, the Blueshirts will make their first trip to Elmont and the brand new UBS Arena.  The Rangers play the Islanders twice in November and twice in April.

Ranger fans will have to wait until 2022 to see the Stanley Cup champions at the Garden.   Ryan McDonagh comes back to MSG in what we have to hope is a season when the torch of Cup  contention is passed from the Lightning to the Rangers.

Fan favorite Mats Zuccarello comes back to Madison Square Garden for the first time since November 2019.  One more chance for the Blueshirts faithful to chant Zuuuuc.

This is the one time for Ranger fans to see the best player in hockey as Connor McDavid leads the Oilers back to New York.  The Rangers have not beaten the Oilers at MSG since 2017-18.

This game will tell us how much of a connection Gerard Gallant has made with his new team as he gets to take on the team that fired him in Vegas’ only trip to New York this season.  The Rangers should want to win this one for their coach. We shall see.

Next, some notes on the schedule and a breakdown of months and days they play.