NHL Schedule 2016-17: Opening Day, All-Star Weekend and Key Dates Released

The NHL released its schedule for the 2016-17 season Tuesday.

The regular season will begin on Oct. 12, and All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles will run from Jan. 27-30, 2017. 

The Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins will begin their campaign on Oct. 13 at home against the Washington Capitals. It will be a rematch of their second-round playoff series in which the Penguins advanced in six games.

Four games will open the year on Oct. 12:

Time (ET)	Matchup
7 p.m.	Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
8 p.m.	Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
10 p.m.	Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames
10:30 p.m.	San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

Pro Hockey Talk's Mike Halford highlighted what will be another day full of high-profile matchups:

Four outdoor games are on the schedule:

Date	Matchup	City	Venue
Oct. 23, 2016	Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers	Winnipeg	Investors Group Field
Jan. 1, 2017	Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings	Toronto	BMO Field
Jan. 2, 2017	St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks	St. Louis	Busch Stadium
Feb. 25, 2017	Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers	Pittsburgh	Heinz Field

Vice Sports' Sean McIndoe figures fans are already finding a reason to be up in arms with the NHL's scheduling:

The 2015-16 NHL season began on Oct. 7, 2015. The World Cup of Hockey forced the league to push back the start of this coming season by nearly a week. The tournament starts on Sept. 17, and the best-of-three final could potentially run until Oct. 1.

The NHL is also experimenting with a five-day bye week for each team for the 2016-17 campaign. The Star Tribune's Michael Russo and Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus both wondered if the bye week is creating more problems than it would solve:

A total of 1,230 games will be played from Oct. 12 until the 2016-17 regular season wraps up on April 9, 2017.