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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chicago Blackhawks fans who already might be salivating over the possibility of seeing Connor Bedard make his NHL debut will have to wait — unless they’re ready to book a flight.
The Hawks will be on the road for their first five games of the 2023-24 season, starting with the opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10.
They will swing through Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Colorado the next nine days.
The first chance to see Bedard at the United Center comes on Oct. 21 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. The Hawks will host the Boston Bruins on Oct. 24 to close a two-game homestand.
But first things first: The Hawks have to draft Bedard with the No. 1 pick Wednesday, though that’s likely a foregone conclusion.
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Here are five things we learned about the 2023-24 schedule.
For the third straight season, the opening road trip includes a visit to the Avalanche. The previous two years, the Avs hosted the Hawks in the season opener.
Seven of the Hawks’ 10 games in October are on the road. Their only other five-game road swing — which runs through late December and early January — starts in Dallas and ends in New Jersey.
The Hawks have only one away game in February: at Carolina. The other nine are at the UC.
The United Center will host 25 games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays — their most weekend home games since 2008-09. Seven of those games will be matinees, which is two more afternoon games than they had last season. Those will start between 1 and 3:30 p.m.
After finishing their home slate against the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes, the Hawks will close out the season on the road against the Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.
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