Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 schedule released, host Habs on Oct 13th to open season

The National Hockey League announced the full schedule for the 2016-17 season today. After providing everyone a teaser yesterday with the dates and opponents for each team’s home openers, the complete season listing was released this afternoon.

For Buffalo, the team will start off the highly anticipated 2016-17 season at their newly-named Key Bank Center against division rivals Montreal Canadiens on October 13th. The last two games of the season are on a Florida road trip, ending with the Lightning on April 9th.

At first glance, this looks like a reasonably well-balanced schedule for the Sabres, with two four-game home stands. The first is in the week leading up Thanksgiving, and then in early December. After opening at home the team flies to Canada's West Coast for three consecutive games before going to the Flyers. The American West Coast trip is in mid-March, followed by a game in Detroit.

The games against the Toronto Maple Leafs are always charged affairs, and after this year’s NHL Draft, will only get even more hotly contested. The Sabres take on the Leafs at home on November 3rd for the first time, aand then again towards the end of the season on March 25th and April 3rd.

The Sabres go to Toronto on January 17th and February 11th.The Sabres play home-and-home sets against three different opponents, back-to-back dates with the Devils (Nov. 11 and 12), the Blue Jackets (March 10 and 11), and the Bruins (Dec. 29 and 31).

It's a tough stretch to end the season, with 10 straight Conference games, including seven against Atlantic Division opponents.

Here’s the schedule from the Sabres website.

What jumps out at you from this schedule announcement?

It's what you've been waiting for.

Our full 2016-17 schedule! https://t.co/2h5X20dq4k #HereWeGoNow ⚔ pic.twitter.com/c6NyBIYYqe

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 21, 2016