OCTOBER 2022

• Monday, Oct. 10:          Opening day playing rosters set (5 p.m. ET)
• Tuesday, Oct. 18:          NHL Board of Governors Meeting (New York, NY)
• Friday, Oct. 25:              CSD: Preliminary Players to Watch List

NOVEMBER 2022

• Tuesday, Nov. 1:           NHL begins the annual campaign for Hockey Fights Cancer
• Nov. 11-14:                   Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Weekend (Toronto, Ont.) – Class of 2022 Inductees: Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, Riikka Sallinen, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin (Player category); Herb Carnegie (Builder category)
• Tuesday, Nov. 15:         NHL General Managers’ Meeting (Toronto, Ont.)
• Monday, Nov. 21:          CSD: Players to Watch List Updated

DECEMBER 2022

• Thursday, Dec. 1:          Signing deadline for Group 2 free agents (5 p.m. ET)
• Dec. 12-13:                   NHL Board of Governors Meeting (Fla.)
• Dec. 20-27:                   Holiday roster freeze in effect: For all players on an NHL active roster, injured reserve, or with non-roster and injured non-roster status as of 11:59 p.m. (local time) Dec. 19, a roster freeze shall apply through 12:01 a.m. (local time) Dec. 28, with respect to waivers, trades and loans, subject to the exceptions provided for in CBA Article 16.5 (d)
• Dec. 24-26:                   Holiday break (no scheduled practices – dressing rooms closed)

JANUARY 2023

• Week of Jan .9:             NHL Central Scouting Mid-Season Rankings released
• Saturday, Jan. 21:         Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada (Host city: Owen Sound, Ont.)

FEBRUARY 2023

• Feb. 2-4:                       No scheduled practices – dressing rooms closed
• Feb. 2-5:                       NHL All-Star Break (no games played):
  • 3-5: No scheduled practices; dressing rooms closed
  • Friday, 3: 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Presented by Draft Kings at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
  • Saturday, 4: 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla.

MARCH 2023

•  Friday, March 3:            2023 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
• March 13-15:                 NHL General Managers’ Meeting (Manalapan, Fla.)

APRIL 2023

•  TBD:                             2023 NHL Draft Lottery
•  Monday, April 17:           2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin
•  Week of 17th:                NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings released

JUNE 2023

•  June 4-10:                    2023 NHL Scouting Combine (LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, N.Y.)
• Monday, June 19:     Last possible day of 2023 Stanley Cup Final
• Monday June 26: 2023 NHL Awards (Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.)
• Tuesday, June 27:         NHL General Managers’ Meeting (Nashville, Tenn.) June 28-29: 2023 NHL Draft (Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.)

JULY 2023

•  Saturday, July 1:            Free agency begins (12 p.m. ET)
• Wednesday, July 5:       Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration notification (5 p.m. ET)
• Thursday, July 6:     Deadline for second club-elected salary arbitration notification
• July 20 to Aug. 4:           Salary arbitration hearings held

AUGUST 2023

•  Sunday, Aug. 6:             Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered

Alignment

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs

Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals

Western Conference

Central Division
Arizona Coyotes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets

Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
Vancouver Canucks

Schedule Matrix

Games Within Division
5 teams x 2 home / 2 away (Subtotal 10 home / 10 away)
1 team x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 2 home / 1 away)
1 team x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 1 home / 2 away)

Games Within Conference (Non-Division)
4 teams x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 8 home / 4 away)
4 teams x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 4 home / 8 away)

Non-Conference Games    
16 teams x 1 home / 1 away (Subtotal 16 home / 16 away)

Grand Total - 82 Games
41 home / 41 away

Stanley Cup Playoff Format

Playoff qualification will be division-based and conference-based, with the top three finishers in each division qualifying for  the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The best two teams in the conference that didn't finish in the top three in their division qualify as wild card teams. 

The lower wild card seed is place in the division with the team that has the best record in the conference, while the other wild card team is placed in the other division. 

Teams are seeded from 1-4 within their division and playoff in best-of-seven series. The two teams that win the division playoff meet in the conference final. The two conference final winners meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

How to Figure

Assist                                             

An assist is awarded to the player or players (maximum of two) who touched the puck prior to the goal, provided no defender plays or possesses the puck in between.

Game Played                                

A player receives credit for playing in a game if: i) he steps on the ice during time played or; ii) serves any penalty.

Game-Winning Goal                  

After the final score has been determined, the goal which leaves the winning Club one goal ahead of its opponent is the game-winning goal (example: if Team A beats Team B 8-3, the player scoring the fourth goal for Team A receives credit for the game-winning goal).

Goal                                                 

A goal is awarded to the last player on the scoring Club to touch the puck prior to the puck entering the net.

Goals-Against Average            

Multiply goals allowed (GA) by 60 and divide by minutes played (MINS). 

Goaltender                                   

A goaltender receives a “W” for a win in regulation, overtime or shootout; an “L” for a loss in regulation; or an “OT” for a loss in overtime or shootout.

Penalty-Killing Pct.                   

Subtract total number of power-play goals allowed from total number of shorthanded situations to get total number of power-plays killed.  Divide the total number of power-plays killed by the total number of shorthanded situations.

Plus-Minus                                   

A player receives a “plus” if he is on the ice when his Club scores an even-strength or shorthand goal.  He receives a “minus” if he is on the ice for an even-strength or shorthanded goal scored by the opposing Club.  The difference in these numbers is considered the player’s plus-minus statistic.

Power-Play Goal                         

A goal scored by a Club while it has a manpower advantage due to an opponent’s penalty.  Following are some examples of what is and is not considered a power-play goal:

• if a Club has an advantage on a minor penalty starting at 2:02 of the period and it scores at 4:02, the goal is not a power-play goal.
• if a Club scores on a delayed penalty, the goal is not a power-play goal.
• if a Club has an advantage due to a five-minute major or match penalty, that Club is always credited with having one more advantage than the number of power-play goals it scores during that advantage, because the penalty does not  expire.  A new advantage begins after each power-play goal.  For example, if Team A scores three goals during a major penalty, it is credited with four advantages.
• if a Club is on a power-play for any length of time, it is considered to have had an advantage.
• if a minor penalty is incurred by a Club on a power-play due to a major penalty, a new advantage is given to that Club when its minor penalty expires, provided the opponent’s major penalty is still in effect.

Power-Play Percentage          

Total number of power-play goals divided by total number of power-play opportunities.

Save Percentage                       

Subtract goals allowed (GA) from shots against (SA) to determine saves.  Then divide saves by shots-against.

Shooting Percentage              

Divide the number of goals scored by the number of shots taken.

Shorthanded Goal                     

A goal scored by a Club while it is at a manpower disadvantage.  The same cases apply for shorthand as for power-play goals, but in the opposite manner.

Shot on Goal                                

If a player shoots the puck with the intention of scoring and if that shot would have gone in the net had the goaltender not stopped it, the shot is recorded as a “shot on goal”.

Shutout                                         

If two goaltenders combine for a shutout, neither receives credit for the shutout.  Instead it is recorded as a Club shutout.

Tenths of a Second                  

If a penalty or goal occurs in the last minute, the time is rounded off to the previous second (ex:  if a penalty is called with 12.4 seconds left in a period, the time is indicated as 19:47 and not 19:48.)

Coaches Record                        

A coach receives a “W” for a win in regulation, overtime or shootout; an “L” for a loss in regulation; or an “OT” for a loss in overtime or shootout.

** NOTE: No individual skater/goaltender statistics apply for the shootout

REFEREES

LINESMEN

* minor league official