Colorado Avalanche release 2021-22 schedule: Back to the old days

We saw a lot of games crammed into a short schedule last season, and it’s kind of the same thing for the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22, as the team’s regular-season schedule was released just now. It’s a tough schedule, travel-wise. A three-week Olympic break in February can be blamed for some of it.

The Avs figure to be a very tired team at times. Yeah, most guys will enjoy that three-week break in February, but not the top players. First off, here’s the full schedule and team release:

The Avalanche will return to the Central Division in 2021-22 after competing in the Honda West Division for the shortened 2020-21 campaign.  With the expansion Seattle Kraken beginning play this year and joining the Pacific Division, the Central will now have eight teams with the addition of the Arizona Coyotes.

The Avs will play 26 games against their division foes, meeting Arizona, Chicago, Minnesota, Nashville and Winnipeg four times each (two home/away) and Dallas (one home/two away) and St. Louis (two home/one away) three times apiece.  Colorado will play 24 games versus the Pacific Division (three times against each opponent) and 32 against teams from the Eastern Conference (one home/away).

Colorado will face Chicago on Opening Night for the third time since relocating to Denver (also 2003-04 and 2010-11).  The Avs will begin their season at home for the fourth straight year and sixth time in the last seven campaigns.

The 2021-22 schedule includes a break in February for the NHL All-Star Game and 2022 Winter Olympics (note: no final agreement or decision has been made regarding Olympic participation).  The Avalanche’s longest homestand is four contests from April 13-18 while its longest road trip is five games from Dec. 1-8.  Colorado will play 11 back-to-back sets.

Colorado will have its busiest December ever (16 games) and will match its busiest January (16 games, 2003-04) and April (14 contests, 2012-13).  Colorado will end the regular season on April 29 in Minnesota.

Single-game tickets for the preseason and regular season go on sale this Saturday, July 24, at 10:00 a.m.  Full Season Memberships and Partial Deposits are on sale now by calling the Avalanche Sales Office at 303.4AVS.NHL.

Start times will be announced at a later date.  All 82 games can be heard on the Altitude Radio Network, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM or 950 AM.  Altitude TV information will be announced at a later time.

OCTOBER

 Wed   Oct. 13    CHICAGO           

Sat      Oct. 16    ST. LOUIS

Tue     Oct. 19     at Washington

Thu     Oct. 21     at Florida

Sat      Oct. 23     at Tampa Bay

Tue     Oct. 26    VEGAS                  

Thu     Oct. 28     at St. Louis

Sat      Oct. 30    MINNESOTA      

NOVEMBER

Wed   Nov. 3      COLUMBUS       

Sat      Nov. 6      at Columbus

Thu    Nov. 11    VANCOUVER    

Sat      Nov. 13    SAN JOSE            

Wed    Nov. 17    at Vancouver

Fri       Nov. 19    at Seattle

Mon   Nov. 22    OTTAWA             

Wed   Nov. 24    ANAHEIM           

Fri       Nov. 26    at Dallas

Sat      Nov. 27    NASHVILLE       

 DECEMBER

 Wed    Dec. 1      at Toronto

Thu     Dec. 2      at Montreal

Sat      Dec. 4      at Ottawa

Mon    Dec. 6      at Philadelphia

Wed    Dec. 8      at NY Rangers

Fri      Dec. 10    DETROIT             

Sun     Dec. 12    FLORIDA             

Tue     Dec. 14    NY RANGERS    

Thu     Dec. 16    at Nashville

Sat      Dec. 18    TAMPA BAY      

Mon    Dec. 20    at Detroit

Wed    Dec. 22    at Buffalo

Thu     Dec. 23    at Boston

Mon    Dec. 27    at Vegas

Wed   Dec. 29    DALLAS               

Fri       Dec. 31    at Dallas

 JANUARY

 Sun     Jan. 2       ANAHEIM           

Tue     Jan. 4        at Chicago

Thu    Jan. 6       WINNIPEG          

Sat      Jan. 8       TORONTO          

Mon   Jan. 10    SEATTLE             

Tue     Jan. 11     at Nashville

Fri      Jan. 14    ARIZONA

Sat      Jan. 15     at Arizona

Mon   Jan. 17    MINNESOTA      

Wed    Jan. 19     at Anaheim

Thu     Jan. 20     at Los Angeles

Sat      Jan. 22    MONTREAL       

Mon   Jan. 24    CHICAGO           

Wed   Jan. 26    BOSTON

Fri       Jan. 28     at Chicago

Sun     Jan. 30    BUFFALO            

 FEBRUARY

 Tue     Feb. 1      ARIZONA

ALL-STAR / OLYMPIC BREAK

Fri      Feb. 25    WINNIPEG          

Sat      Feb. 26     at Vegas

MARCH

 Tue     Mar. 1     NY ISLANDERS

Thu     Mar. 3      at Arizona

Sat      Mar. 5     CALGARY           

Mon    Mar. 7      at NY Islanders

Tue     Mar. 8      at New Jersey

Thu     Mar. 10    at Carolina

Sun     Mar. 13   CALGARY           

Tue     Mar. 15    at Los Angeles

Fri       Mar. 18    at San Jose

Mon   Mar. 21   EDMONTON      

Wed   Mar. 23   VANCOUVER    

Fri      Mar. 25   PHILADELPHIA                 

Sun     Mar. 27    at Minnesota

Tue     Mar. 29    at Calgary

Thu    Mar. 31   SAN JOSE            

APRIL

 Sat      Apr. 2      PITTSBURGH    

Tue     Apr. 5       at Pittsburgh

Fri       Apr. 8       at Winnipeg

Sat      Apr. 9       at Edmonton

Wed   Apr. 13    LOS ANGELES  

Thu    Apr. 14    NEW JERSEY    

Sat      Apr. 16    CAROLINA         

Mon   Apr. 18    WASHINGTON 

Wed    Apr. 20    at Seattle

Fri       Apr. 22    at Edmonton

Sun     Apr. 24    at Winnipeg

Tue     Apr. 26    ST. LOUIS            

Thu    Apr. 28    NASHVILLE       

Fri       Apr. 29    at Minnesota

This is a very tiring schedule. A game pretty much every other day most of the time, with more airplane travel to and fro. A couple of really weird road trips too, like the one from April 5-9 – at Pittsburgh April 5, then at….Winnipeg April 8, then at Edmonton April 9. They’ll play three games in four nights near Christmas in Detroit, Buffalo and Boston. Don’t forget your overcoats for that one.