The moment that every hockey fan has been awaiting is upon us. The NHL has finally released the 2020-21 schedule on Wednesday, which is set to begin on January 13th with five games on the docket, including some very exciting rivalries.
The oldest rivalry in hockey history will take centre stage, as the Toronto Maple Leafs play host to the Montreal Canadiens, with both teams having made some bold moves this offseason. The Leafs will bring a revamped defense into the fold, with the addition of top pairing blueliner T.J. Brodie and roughneck Zach Bogosian, as well as a vastly improved bottom-six, highlighted by some veteran leaders in "Jumbo "Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds, both of whom can ruin your night in more ways than one.
The Habs - who have also bolstered their blueline with the additions of Joel Edmundson (acquired from Carolina) and top prospect Alexander Romanov - are a vastly improved team in their own rights after the acquisitions of bruising power forward Josh Anderson and sniper Tyler Toffoli. Add to that the fact that they have solidified their situation in goal by adding veteran netminder Jake Allen to play backup to Carey Price and you have the recipe for a dangerous Habs club in 2020-21.
The Battle of Pennsylvania, one of hockey's great modern rivalries, is also slated to occur on opening night. With the Pens on the back-nine and the Flyers seemingly on the rise, this could be a very important matchup to set the tone for the East Division and put other division rivals on notice.
Rounding out the remaining games on the schedule for opening night, the Chicago Blackhawks take on the reigning Stanley Cup champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Colorado Avalanche welcome the St. Louis Blues and their new captain - former Av - Ryan O'Reilly and Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers look to start strong against Elias Pettersson and the Vancouver Canucks, who look completely different heading into 2020-21 after losing starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom, top pairing blueliner Chris Tanev, sniper Tyler Toffoli and the relentless Troy Stecher, among others, in free agency.
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