Inside the 2008-09 Schedule

John Kreiser | NHL.com Columnist For the first time in four years, Barry Trotz and the Nashville Predators can enjoy Thanksgiving without having to come to the arena to play a game. The 2008-09 NHL schedule was announced Thursday. The season begins on Oct. 4 with two games in Europe and ends 27 weeks later, on April 12. Each team will play 82 games, 24 against teams in its own division, 30 against non-division teams in its own conference and the rest against the other conference. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting numbers for the upcoming season: 0 — Games scheduled on Oct. 26, the only non-holiday or All Star-related date in the season on which there are no games scheduled. 1 — Games on Feb. 23 (San Jose at Dallas) and March 2 (Colorado at New York Islanders) — the only dates on which only one game is scheduled. 2... [read full story]