Detroit Red Wings release 2022-23 schedule; first game is Oct. 14 at home vs. Montreal

New head coach Derek Lalonde and the Detroit Red Wings will open the 2022-23 season at home against the Original Six rival Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 14, and finish the regular season six months later, on April 13 at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 82-game slate features 26 games against Atlantic Division rivals, three games each against the eight teams in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division (24 games) and two games each against all 16 Western Conference teams (32 games).

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Following the opener, the Wings visit the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 15, marking the first of 14 back-to-backs. The Wings then play four of their next six games at Little Caesars Arena before wrapping up October with a Halloween outing in Buffalo against the Sabres.

The Wings play eight games at LCA in November, but pay for it with a season-high nine road games in December (and only five contests at Little Caesars Arena). The home slate for the month is highlighted by three Saturday games: Dec. 3 vs. Vegas and Dec. 17 vs. Ottawa, plus the team’s annual New Year’s Eve matchup against the Ottawa Senators.

The Wings will face the newly crowned Stanley Cup champs for the first time March 18 as the Colorado Avalanche visit Little Caesars Arena. There's one new arena on the schedule, as well, as the Arizona Coyotes move out of Glendale's Gila River Arena and into the new ice on Arizona State's campus. ASU will be the Coyotes' temporary home through at least 2025 as the franchise pushes for a new home of its own in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils' arena will hold approximately 5,000 seats, making it by far the NHL's smallest venue.

Red Wings' 2022-23 schedule

(Home games in all caps)

Oct. 14: MONTREAL, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 15: At New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17: LOS ANGELES, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 21: At Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Oct. 23: ANAHEIM, 5 p.m.

Oct. 25: NEW JERSEY, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 27: At Boston, 7 p.m.

Oct. 29: MINNESOTA, 7 p.m.

Oct. 31: At Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Nov. 3: WASHINGTON, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 5: N.Y. ISLANDERS, 7 p.m.

Nov. 6: At N.Y. Rangers, 5 p.m.

Nov. 8: MONTREAL, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 10: N.Y. RANGERS, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 12: At Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 15: At Anaheim, 10 p.m.

Nov. 17: At San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 19: At Columbus, 7 p.m.

Nov. 23: NASHVILLE, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 25: ARIZONA, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 28: TORONTO, 7 p.m.

Nov. 30: BUFFALO, 7 p.m.

Dec. 3: VEGAS, 7 p.m.

Dec. 4: At Columbus, 6 p.m.

Dec. 6: At Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Dec. 8: At Florida, 7 p.m.

Dec. 10: At Dallas, 2 p.m.

Dec. 13: CAROLINA, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: At Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 17: OTTAWA, 1 p.m.

Dec. 19: At Washington, 7 p.m.

Dec. 21: TAMPA BAY, 7 p.m.

Dec. 23: At Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Dec. 28: At Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29: At Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Dec. 31: OTTAWA, 7 p.m.

Jan. 4: NEW JERSEY, 7 p.m.

Jan. 6: FLORIDA, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: At Toronto, 7 p.m.

Jan. 10: WINNIPEG, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12: TORONTO, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14: COLUMBUS, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16: At Colorado, 3 p.m.

Jan. 17: At Arizona, 9 p.m.

Jan. 19: At Vegas, 10 p.m.

Jan. 21: PHILADELPHIA, 7 p.m.

Jan. 24: SAN JOSE, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: At Montreal, 7 p.m.

Jan. 27: At N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Feb. 7: EDMONTON, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9: CALGARY, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11: VANCOUVER, Noon

Feb. 13: At Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Feb. 15: At Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.

Feb. 16: At Calgary, 9 p.m.

Feb. 18: At Seattle, 10:30 p.m.

Feb. 21: At Washington, 7 p.m.

Feb. 23: N.Y. RANGERS, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 25: TAMPA BAY, 7 p.m.

Feb. 28: At Ottawa, 7 p.m.

March 2: SEATTLE, 7:30 p.m.

March 4: At N.Y. Islanders, 12:30 p.m.

March 5: At Philadelphia, 3 p.m.

March 8: CHICAGO, 7:30 p.m.

March 11: At Boston, 1 p.m.

March 12: BOSTON, 1 p.m.

March 14: At Nashville, 8 p.m.

March 18: COLORADO, 1 p.m.

March 20: FLORIDA, 7:30 p.m.

March 21: At St. Louis, 8 p.m.

March 23: ST. LOUIS, 7:30 p.m.

March 25: At Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

March 28: PITTSBURGH, 7:30 p.m.

March 30: CAROLINA, 7:30 p.m.

March 31: At Winnipeg, 8 p.m.

April 2: At Toronto, 7 p.m.

April 4: At Montreal, 7 p.m.

April 6: BUFFALO, 7:30 p.m.

April 8: PITTSBURGH, 7 p.m.

April 10: DALLAS, 7:30 p.m.

April 11: At Carolina, 7 p.m.

April 13: At Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings release 2022-23 schedule