Here’s the Sabres 2017-18 season schedule

The NHL bonanza rolls on today, as the league has announced the full schedule for its 2017-18 season. We found out yesterday that the Sabres would open the season at home against Montreal (again) and today we found out what the rest of their season will look like.

The first thing that jumps out to me is the third game of the year, an afternoon game on Columbus Day. Since being purchased by the Pegulas, the Sabres have pushed for more matinee games thanks to their family-friendly nature, and this year they play in six home afternoon games (technically seven, but the Winter Classic doesn’t count).

Their first big west coast road trip also takes place very early in the year - a four game swing starting with Game #4 that includes their first trip to Vegas on Tuesday, October 17. Anyone fancy a long (long) weekend trip to Vegas this October? The first time Vegas comes to Buffalo will be on March 10.

There’s something called the...Winter Classic? On January 1? Never heard of it.

For those of you excited about more intense Sabres/Leafs games, unfortunately you’ll have to wait until March 5 for the first meeting between these two teams, who then play four times in the final 17 games. Those final 17 games don’t look too easy either, seeing Buffalo close the season with a whole bunch of games against playoff teams this season.

As far as back-to-back games, the Sabres have 16 pairs this year, down from their league-leading number of 19 last year. The team’s bye week this season will come in mid-January, with no games scheduled from January 12-17.

The full schedule can be found below, or you can see the full colorized version in all its glory at Sabres.com.