NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 22, 2011) – The National Hockey League released the 2011-12 regular-season schedule today and the Nashville Predators will open their 14th season with back-to-back road games – at divisional foes Columbus (Oct. 7) and St. Louis (Oct. 8) – for the first time in franchise history, before playing their home opener on Oct. 13 when they host the Phoenix Coyotes. For the fourth consecutive campaign, the Predators will play 15 Saturday home games.

Nashville opens the season with 10 of its first 15 games on the road from Oct. 7-Nov. 9, then sees its longest homestand (five games, Nov. 12-22) and road trip (five games, Nov. 23-Dec. 1) occur in succession. The Predators’ heaviest home month will be in December (nine games), while March is the most road heavy (nine games). The club will get a six day break between games as the League hosts the 2012 All-Star Weekend on Jan. 27-29 at ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa.

The franchise will play its 1,000th game when it hosts Original Six franchise the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 12. The following game (Nov. 15) the Predators host the Washington Capitals, a matchup which kicks off the next 1,000 games for the franchise. The team then plays host to another Original Six team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on Nov. 17, capping off a rare three-game homestretch against the Eastern Conference.

Schedule Notes

Longest home stand: Five games – Nov. 12-22 Longest road trip: Five games – Nov. 23-Dec. 1 Predators Eastern Conference Wild Card Opponents (play both at home and on the road): Carolina, Philadelphia and Washington No home games vs.: Boston, Florida, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Pittsburgh No road games vs.: Buffalo, Montreal, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Winnipeg CENTRAL DIVISION Chicago: Jan. 21, Feb. 14 and March 31      At Chicago: Oct. 31, Jan. 24 and March 25 Columbus: Nov. 19, Dec. 22 and Jan. 23      At Columbus: Oct. 7, Dec. 8 and Jan. 19 Detroit: Dec. 15, Dec. 26 and March 10      At Detroit: Nov. 26, Feb. 17 and March 30 St. Louis: Dec. 17, Feb. 4 and Feb. 23      At St. Louis: Oct. 8, Dec. 30 and March 27

The Predators will again play all other 29 teams in the NHL at least once in 2011-12. Nashville will play its Central Division rivals six times – three at home and three away – while taking on the Western Conference’s other 10 teams twice at home and twice on the road.

This season, the Predators’ three “wild card” opponents from the Eastern Conference, who they will play both home and away contests against, are a pair of Southeast Division foes – Carolina and Washington – and the Philadelphia Flyers, who the Predators have made more transactions with than any other team. Nashville’s game against The Predators will also receive visits from Buffalo (Dec. 3), New Jersey (Oct. 15) and Tampa Bay (Oct. 27). They’ll travel to TD Garden to face the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins on Feb. 11, and play their first game against the Winnipeg franchise at Bridgestone Arena on March 24.

“The announcement of the 2011-12 schedule is a great sign that another season of exciting Predators hockey is just around the corner” Bridgestone Arena and Nashville Predators CEO Jeff Cogen said. “This is an excellent schedule and one that our fans will really enjoy as we look to build on our many successes from last season. With visits from traditional rivals Detroit and Chicago along with Eastern Conference powers Washington and Philadelphia, not to mention Original Six franchises Toronto and Montreal, Smashville will again be the place to be this NHL season!”

The 2011-12 schedule is again highlighted by three visits each from the rival Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. The 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks come to town twice for Saturday night tilts (Jan. 21 and March 31) and on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), while the defending Central Division Champion Wings visit Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 15, for a holiday game on Dec. 26 and for a “Saturday Night in Smashville” on March 10. Predators fans will see rematches of the Western Conference Semifinals twice in two weeks as the Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks come calling on Feb. 7 and Feb. 21.

The schedule includes 12 sets of back-to-back games, its lowest total in four seasons. The Predators will close out the home portion of their schedule with a Fan Appreciation game on April 5 vs. the Dallas Stars, and wrap up the 2011-12 campaign on the road for the fifth time in six seasons, playing at the Pepsi Center in Denver, where they closed the 2003-04 and 2006-07 seasons as well.

Face-off for most Predators home contests will be at 7 p.m. (Central time), with the three exceptions being a pair of 6 p.m. starts against Canadian clubs on Nov. 12 (Montreal) and March 24 (Winnipeg) and a 5 p.m. puck drop for the New Year’s Day game (Calgary).

Season tickets for the 2011-12 Nashville Predators season in Smashville are on sale now and start at just $19 per game. Great interest-free payment plans are currently available for Full Season and Half Season packages. You can also make your own Flex Plan by picking 12 games that fit your personal schedule. To order tickets to the Nashville Predators, visit nashvillepredators.com/seasonticket or contact a ticket representative at 615-770-7800. Information on ticket availability for individual games will be announced later this summer.

The Predators are set to host their third annual Skate of the Union event, to be held at Bridgestone Arena on July 13. The day is highlighted by a town hall meeting, select-a-seat opportunities, a used-equipment sale, autograph sessions, fun and games for the entire family and much more. Look for more information on the 2011 Skate of the Union in the coming weeks.


Schedule Breakdown...

By Day	Home	Away		By Month	Home	Away
Sunday	1	3		October	5	5
Monday	3	4		November	5	8
Tuesday	11	10		December	9	5
Wednesday	1	2		January	7	7
Thursday	10	9		February	7	6
Friday	0	5		March	6	9
Saturday	15	8		April	2	1

Full Schedule...

Date	Opponent	Time**		Date	Opponent	Time**
Fri. Oct. 7	at Columbus	6:00 p.m.		Tue. Jan. 10	at Colorado	7:00 pm
Sat. Oct. 8	at St. Louis	7:00 pm		Thu. Jan. 12	Colorado	7:00 pm
Thu. Oct. 13	Phoenix	7:00 p.m.		Sat. Jan. 14	Philadelphia	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 15	New Jersey	7:00 p.m.		Mon. Jan. 16	at NY Islanders	12:00 p.m.
Mon. Oct. 17	at Edmonton	8:30 p.m.		Tue. Jan. 17	at NY Rangers	6:00 p.m.
Thu. Oct. 20	at Vancouver	9:00 p.m.		Thu. Jan. 19	at Columbus	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 22	at Calgary	3:00 p.m.		Sat. Jan. 21	Chicago	7:30 p.m.
Tue. Oct. 25	San Jose	7:00 p.m.		Mon. Jan. 23	Columbus	7:00 p.m.
Thu. Oct. 27	Tampa Bay	7:00 p.m.		Tue. Jan. 24	at Chicago	7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 29	Anaheim	7:00 p.m.		Tue. Jan. 31	at Minnesota	7:00 p.m.
Mon. Oct. 31	at Chicago	7:30 p.m.		Thu. Feb. 2	at Philadelphia	6:00 p.m.
Thu. Nov. 3	at Phoenix	8:00 p.m.		Sat. Feb. 4	St. Louis	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 5	at San Jose	9:30 p.m.		Tue. Feb. 7	Vancouver	7:00 p.m.
Tue. Nov. 8	at Los Angeles	9:30 p.m.		Thu. Feb. 9	at Ottawa	6:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 9	at Anaheim	9:00 p.m.		Sat. Feb. 11	at Boston	12:00 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 12	Montreal	6:00 p.m.		Tue. Feb. 14	Chicago	7:00 p.m.
Tue. Nov. 15	Washington	7:00 p.m.		Fri. Feb. 17	at Detroit	6:30 p.m.
Thu. Nov. 17	Toronto	7:00 p.m.		Sun Feb. 19	at Dallas	6:00 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 19	Columbus	7:00 p.m.		Tue. Feb. 21	Vancouver	7:00 p.m.
Tue. Nov. 22	Edmonton	7:00 p.m.		Thu. Feb. 23	St. Louis	7:00 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 23	at Minnesota	7:00 p.m.		Sat. Feb. 25	San Jose	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 26	at Detroit	6:00 p.m.		Mon. Feb. 27	Los Angeles	7:00 p.m.
Mon. Nov. 28	at Edmonton	8:30 p.m.		Tue. Feb. 28	at Carolina	6:00 p.m.
Tue. Nov. 29	at Calgary	8:00 p.m.		Sat. March 3	at Florida	6:30 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 1	at Vancouver	9:00 p.m.		Tue. March 6	Los Angeles	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 3	Buffalo	7:00 p.m.		Thu. March 8	Colorado	7:00 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 6	Phoenix	7:00 p.m.		Sat. March 10	Detroit	7:00 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 8	at Columbus	6:00 p.m.		Mon. March 12	at Phoenix	8:00 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 10	Anaheim	7:00 p.m.		Thu. March 15	at San Jose	9:30 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 13	Calgary	7:00 p.m.		Sat. March 17	at Los Angeles	9:30 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 15	Detroit	7:00 p.m.		Sun. March 18	at Anaheim	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 17	St. Louis	7:00 p.m.		Tue. March 20	Edmonton	7:00 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 20	at Washington	6:00 p.m.		Thu. March 22	at Pittsburgh	6:00 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 22	Columbus	7:00 p.m.		Sat. March 24	Winnipeg	6:00 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 23	at Dallas	7:30 p.m.		Sun. March 25	at Chicago	6:30 p.m.
Mon. Dec. 26	Detroit	7:00 p.m.		Tue. March 27	at St. Louis	7:00 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 28	Minnesota	7:00 p.m.		Fri. March 30	at Detroit	6:30 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 30	at St. Louis	7:00 p.m.		Sat. March 31	Chicago	7:00 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 1	Calgary	5:00 p.m.		Tue. April 3	Minnesota	7:00 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 5	Dallas	7:00 p.m.		Thu. April 5	Dallas	7:00 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 7	Carolina	7:00 p.m.		Sat. April 7	at Colorado	8:00 p.m.

**All Times For Central Time Zone