Is it October yet?

Winnipeg Free Press

5 days ago

The Winnipeg Jets will open the 2025-26 NHL season the same way their last campaign ended — facing the Dallas Stars.
The Central Division rivals will clash in a playoff rematch on Thursday, Oct. 9, at Canada Life Centre, which is two days after the league gets going in other markets. Dallas eliminated Winnipeg in six games this past spring, ending the Jets' Stanley Cup hopes in the second round.
Winnipeg kicks off the new hockey year with a home-heavy schedule, playing eight of their first 12 games at the downtown rink. That stretch will be followed by a season-long six-game road trip through the Pacific Division, beginning Nov. 4 in Los Angeles and concluding Nov. 13 in Seattle. That marks the start of a gruelling run where the Jets will play 11 of 14 games on the road.
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
The Winnipeg Jets start the 2025-26 campaign at home in a rematch of last season's Stanley Cup second-round matchup against the Dallas Stars.
The team's longest homestand runs from March 3 to March 17, starting with the Chicago Blackhawks and wrapping up with the Nashville Predators. Six other teams will visit Winnipeg during that stretch.
In total, the Jets have nine sets of back-to-back games this season — four exclusively on the road, three at home, and two with a home-and-away split.
Saturdays will be the busiest day on the calendar, with Winnipeg playing 18 games, including 10 at home. Three of those will be afternoon matinees. The Jets also have three Sunday afternoon games scheduled.
Divisional play includes 26 games — four each against Dallas, Chicago, Colorado, Minnesota and St. Louis, and three against Utah and Nashville. Winnipeg will face all 16 Eastern Conference teams twice, once at home and once on the road, and play the eight Pacific Division teams three times each to round out the schedule.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Other notable games on the calendar include:
The NHL's national broadcast schedule will be announced later this summer, with most Jets games airing on TSN3 and additional coverage split between Rogers Sportsnet and Amazon Prime. All 82 games will be carried on 680 CJOB radio and simulcast on Power 97.
Training camp opens Sept. 17, with six preseason games scheduled between Sept. 21 and Oct. 3.
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Mike McIntyreReporter
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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