Phoenix Coyotes: The Road Ahead

The Phoenix Coyotes' schedule is an interesting one, as the league has changed the format from a division-oriented schedule to a more league-wide format.

Here are a couple of dates for the Coyotes that could be big for the club:

October 11, vs Columbus: The home opener and first game of the regular season is always important. The young Coyotes will look to start the season the right way, versus a different Blue Jackets squad.

October 15, at Chicago: The first of four meetings between two teams that could be at the top of the Western Conference in the future, with so many great young players on their rosters. 

October 23 and 30, vs Capitals and Penguins: Ovechkin and Crosby come out to the desert in their only meetings of the season with Phoenix. Look for the Coyotes to try and show their stuff against teams that have found success following the same path they did.

November 15, vs Dallas: Daniel Carcillo vs Sean Avery. Any questions?

November 24, at NYR: Of course this game is important—why wouldn't it be on this list? My two favorite teams go at it, and I'll be sitting in Section 420 not knowing who to root for.

December 13, vs Detroit: The Stanley Cup Champs come to Phoenix and the Coyotes will be looking to make some noise against them. Definitely a measuring stick game.

January 8, vs Tampa Bay: Radim Vrbata and Rick Tocchet make their returns to Phoenix with their new team, while Steven Stamkos—this year's top draft pick—makes his debut in the desert.

March 5, at Boston: The Coyotes visit Blake Wheeler and his new team. Look for a little bad blood between the Coyotes and their former prospect.

Those are the biggest games of the year aside from the usual divisional games, which I decided not to put on here. The Coyotes will be looking to make some serious noise this year and get a serious bid at making the playoffs.

With a lot of young players and improved leadership, they should be able to fo that. But with a schedule like this, it won't be easy. What Coyote games are you looking forward to?