MINNESOTA WILD ANNOUNCES 2009-10 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild’s 2009-10 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season schedule was released today. The Wild will begin the season at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 6:00 p.m. (CT). The Wild will play its home opener at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday, Oct. 6, against the Anaheim Ducks, at 8:00 p.m. Visit www.Wild.com for more information and a breakdown of the schedule.

The 2009-10 schedule consists of 82 games – 41 at Xcel Energy Center and 41 road contests. The Wild’s home schedule features 18 weekend games (six on Friday, eight on Saturday and four on Sunday) and four afternoon contests (Nov. 27, Feb. 14, March 7, March 21). Most evening games at Xcel Energy Center will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Minnesota will play each member of the Northwest Division (Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton and Vancouver) six times (three times at home, three times on road) for a total of 24 games. In addition, the club will play the remaining members of the Western Conference’s Pacific Division (Anaheim, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Jose) and Central Division (Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Nashville and St. Louis) four times each (twice at home and twice on the road) for a total of 40 games.

The Wild will play 18 games against the Eastern Conference this season, playing seven games against the Atlantic Division, six against the Southeast Division and five against the Northeast Division. Minnesota will play a home game and road game each against Carolina, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Minnesota will also visit Eastern Conference members, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Washington, while hosting Atlanta, Boston, Florida, New Jersey, the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers.

Popular out-of-town visits at Xcel Energy Center include: the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (Jan. 11), the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings (Jan. 21, Jan. 27), the Anaheim Ducks (Oct. 6, Dec. 4), the Calgary Flames (Jan. 6, March 7, March 21), the Chicago Blackhawks (Jan. 9, March 31), the division rival Colorado Avalanche (Oct. 21, Nov. 27, Dec. 21), the Dallas Stars (Nov. 7, April 10), the San Jose Sharks (March 23, April 2), the Vancouver Canucks (Nov. 5, Jan. 13, Feb. 14), the New York Rangers (Oct. 30) and the New Jersey Devils (Jan. 2). The Wild’s game against Columbus on Saturday, Jan. 23, will be part of the 4th Annual Hockey Day Minnesota, a partnership between the Wild and FOX Sports North.

The Olympic Break will be Feb. 15-28. No games or practices can be scheduled during this time, when NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The Wild’s longest homestand is five games: Feb. 4-Feb. 14, against Edmonton, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Atlanta and Vancouver. The club has a pair of five-game road trips: Oct. 8-Oct. 17 at Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, Edmonton and Vancouver, and also Dec. 5-Dec. 12 at Nashville, Phoenix, Colorado, Calgary and Vancouver.