Blues Release 2014-15 Schedule; Plenty of Interesting Matchups

The St. Louis Blues released their complete schedule for the 2014-15 regular season on Sunday afternoon. As they announced yesterday, they’ll open the season against the New York Rangers on Thursday, October 9th. There are plenty of other intriguing games on the schedule as well. Here are some quick fun facts about the lineup for this Blues season:

• The Blues face their former rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, at home on January 15th and on the road in a Sunday afternoon game on March 22nd.
• They’ll face the Blackhawks twice in their final four games: in Chicago on Sunday, April 5th and at Scottrade on Thursday, April 9th.
• The Blues will have significantly less holiday action than they’ve had in years past. They play the Oilers at home on the day after Thanksgiving, their first game after Christmas will be at home against the Stars on December 27th, and they’re off on New Year’s Eve. They’ll face the Avalanche at home on the night of Martin Luther King Day.
• They have a home-and-home with the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on December 16th and 18th.
• The Blues have a seven-game home stand from January 10th to 29th. Their longest road trip will be a six-game stand from March 15th to 24th. That road trip may end up being crucial as the Blues head down the stretch.
• There are 12 sets of back-to-back games on the schedule. These occurrences might be less of an event than they were in 2013-14, as Jake Allen and Brian Elliott will be able to evenly split the goaltending duties without controversy, and there will be no worry over exhausting aging veterans like Brenden Morrow.
• They’ll end the season with a three-game home stand, going up against the Jets, Blackhawks and Wild. Fan Appreciation Day against Minnesota will be a Saturday night affair on April 11th.