The NHL is playing 84 games a team for the first time since 1993-94, with two extra division games each. The schedule fits them in across 377 back-to-backs, an average of 11.8 per team. They are not shared out evenly.
Who plays the most, and the fewest
Pittsburgh play 15 sets of games on consecutive nights, the first on 9 and 10 October and the last on 9 and 10 April, the final two days of the regular season. Five teams play 14: Florida, Boston, Buffalo, Washington and Ottawa.
- Most: Pittsburgh 15; Florida, Boston, Buffalo, Washington and Ottawa 14; the Islanders, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Seattle, San Jose and Dallas 13.
- Fewest: Vegas and Calgary 8; Winnipeg 9; Montréal, Los Angeles, Colorado, Minnesota and Utah 10.
Eastern teams carry more of them. Every team with 14 or more plays in the East, and all three teams with nine or fewer play in the West.
The hard ones: two road games in two nights
A back-to-back at home is easier than one that ends in another city. Florida have nine sets with both games on the road, the most in the league. Anaheim, Boston and Tampa Bay have eight. Philadelphia and Minnesota have two each.
Does the second night matter?
A little. Last season, teams on the second night of a back-to-back took 53.5% of the available points. On every other night they took 56.7%. Against an opponent who had not played the day before, the second-night side took 51.4%.
That is a dent rather than a collapse: over 15 sets, a gap of three points of points percentage is worth about one point in the standings. It shows up more in goal, where teams often start their backup in one of the two games.
First up: this weekend
The Rangers are first: home to Tampa Bay on Thursday and at Detroit tonight. Five more teams play tonight and tomorrow: Boston (at Winnipeg, then Minnesota), Washington (at Carolina, then Tampa Bay), St. Louis (at Dallas, then Colorado), Carolina (home to Washington, then at Philadelphia) and Dallas (home to St. Louis, then at Nashville). Calgary, Seattle, Utah and Vancouver follow on Saturday and Sunday, with Calgary’s two both on the road, at Vancouver and Seattle.
Each team’s split of starts in goal so far is on the goalie starts page.
